Kodagu police arrest man who beheaded 15-yr-old schoolgirl

21-year-old Kaivalya Vohra and 22-year-old Aadit Palicha of quick-commerce startup Zepto with net worth of Rs 3,600 crore and Rs 4,300 crore respectively have topped the 2024 Hurun India Rich List showcasing the youngest entrepreneurs in the country. 

The list, released on Thursday, had SG Finserve’s Rohan Gupta & Family, 25, on the third spot with a wealth of Rs 1,300 crore followed by 26-year-old Shasvat Nakrani of BharatPe (Rs 1,300 crore). 

OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, 30, with a net worth of Rs 1,900 core; Alakh Pandey, 32, of Physics Wallah with Rs 4,500 crore in wealth were also on the list. Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, both 33, were the richest in the ‘Hurun India Rich List – Youngest’ with each having a net worth of Rs 8,700 crore. 

“These individuals are driving change across various industries, reflecting the growing impact of India’s youth in business,” the report said. 

52 entrepreneurs on this year’s list were founders of 29 unicorns and two founders of gazelles, defined as most likely to ‘go unicorn’ within two years. Moreover, the cumulative wealth of Indian unicorn and gazelle listers on the rich list increased by 5 per cent to Rs 2.85 lakh crore. 

Meanwhile, this year’s list reported India’s billionaire count hitting 334, topped by Gautam Adani and family with 95 per cent growth in wealth to Rs 11.6 lakh crore followed by Rs 10.14 lakh crore net worth of Mukesh Ambani and family, Rs 3.14 lakh crore of Shiv Nadar and family, Rs 2.89 lakh crore of Cyrus S Poonawalla and family, and Rs 2.49 lakh crore of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ Dilip Sanghvi. 

“India is emerging as Asia’s wealth creation engine! While China saw a 25% decline in its number of billionaires, India experienced a 29% increase, reaching a record 334 billionaires,” said Anas Rahman Junaid, Founder and Chief Researcher, Hurun India. 

The list found 1,539 individuals across 134 cities with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore. The cumulative wealth of individuals, according to the list, jumped by 46 per cent. Moreover, 1,334 individuals saw their wealth increase or stay the same, of which 272 are new entrants, while 205 recorded a drop in their wealth. 

The report said India minted a new billionaire every five days last year.

Sector-wise, industrial products had 142 individuals from the list while pharmaceuticals had 136 individuals. Chemicals, software, and real estate were other top sectors with 127, 105, and 91 rich individuals from this year’s list. 

“The pivot in the Indian economy from a services-led to a manufacturing-led model is reflected in the 2024 Hurun India Rich List. Industrial products sector entrepreneurs on the list have seen a remarkable 47% CAGR in their cumulative wealth over the past five years—the highest among all sectors,” said Junaid. 

This shift, he said, is fueled by several key factors, including the central government’s significant increase in capital expenditure on infrastructure development, which has risen to $133.3 billion for FY2024-25, marking an 11.1 per cent jump from the previous year.  

“Additionally, India attracted substantial foreign direct investment (FDI), with total inflows reaching US$17.96 billion in FY2023-24.” 

Mumbai with 386 individuals followed by New Delhi with 217 individuals were home to rich listers this year. Bengaluru (100), Chennai (82), Kolkata (69) were other top cities.

Mandya: Accusing the opposition BJP of attempting 'Operation Kamala' to destabilise the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka, a ruling party MLA on Sunday claimed that efforts were on to entice Congress legislators, by offering Rs 100 crore.

Congress MLA from Mandya Ravikumar Gowda (Ravi Ganiga) alleged that though attempts are on by the BJP to destabilise the government by luring MLAs, no legislator will fall for it, and the government was stable and strong.

‘Operation Kamala’ (Operation Lotus) refers to an alleged attempt of the BJP to engineer defection of its opponent party legislators to install its own government and to ensure its stability.

"Even today I'm saying, they (BJP) have now raised the offer to Rs 100 crore from Rs 50 crore, someone had called day-before-yesterday saying hundred (crore) ready, (wanted) to purchase 50 MLAs. BJP people have gone from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore," Gowda said in response to a reporter's question.

Addressing media here, he said, "Someone had called me, I told him to keep Rs 100 crore with himself, I thought of complaining to ED." "Everyday they (BJP) are planning to dislodge our government, from Rs 50 crore, they have now gone to Rs 100 crore offer, but our government is stable, the Chief Minister is also strong," he added.

Earlier, in October last year too, Gowda had claimed that a team was trying to lure Congress legislators with offers of Rs 50 crore and ministerial positions. He had said that four legislators have been contacted, and there is evidence to support this claim.

Gowda today accused BJP national General Secretary Organisation B L Santhosh, Union Ministers Shobha Karnadlaje, Pralhad Joshi and H D Kumaraswamy (of JDS) of working as a "gang" to destabilise the Congress government in the state.

With 136 MLAs the Congress government is "strong like a rock", there is a popular CM, who is pro-poor, and no one can dislodge it, he further said. "But these people have promised PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and are walking around with an aim to topple the government."

Alleging that BJP's "brokers" are contacting Congress MLAs every day, Gowda said, "none of our MLAs will fall for it... they (BJP)want to dislodge the government, by purchasing MLAs. They want to destabilise, as Congress is strong in Karnataka."

"We are collecting evidence, we will give it to ED, CBI, we want to catch them with the bag of cash...I have the audio of the person who had called me, he should be feeling his heart beat now, we will release it at the right time," he added.

Sri Taralabalu branch mutt pontiff, Panditaradhya Shivacharya Swamiji, highlighted the shared spiritual values between Lingayat and Islam, emphasizing the potential for unity and mutual understanding between the two faiths.

Speaking at a program on the Quran organized by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind at Ta Ra Su Rangamandir, Swamiji reflected on the common ground that exists between these spiritual traditions. He noted that while Lingayat and Islam are distinct religions, they share several profound principles.

Swamiji explained that the Lingayat tradition advocates for the worship of one supreme God through Istalinga puja, and similarly, Islam, as taught by Prophet Muhammad, emphasizes the oneness of God and discourages idol worship, urging believers to connect solely with Allah.

He further remarked that throughout history, many have promoted the belief in one God, known by many names, yet societal barriers still persist. 

Swamiji called for the dismantling of these barriers, urging communities to foster love, mutual respect, and understanding. He encouraged all rational thinkers to promote harmony by breaking down walls of division and embracing one another in a spirit of brotherhood.