WITH a net worth totalling $33.5 billion, Savitri Jindal of the Jindal Group was ranked as India’s wealthiest woman and holds the sole female position among the top 10 richest women globally on Forbes‘ 2024 list.
She is the sixth wealthiest woman and 46th wealthiest person overall on the list. She is also the fourth wealthiest Indian.
Savitri took over her husband Om Prakash Jindal’s steel and power conglomerate after his sudden death in 2005.
After his passing, his four sons inherited the companies, each of whom now manages their respective businesses autonomously.
The group specialises in power and steel but also has assets in other industries such as mining, power generation, industrial gases and port facilities.
Savitri, 74, has served in the Indian Congress government on two occasions, first as the minister of power and later as the minister of urban local bodies.
However, last Thursday (28) she joined prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after resigning from the membership of the opposition Congress party. Her daughter Seema Jindal also joined the party.
“I represented the people of Hisar (in Haryana) for 10 years as an MLA (state lawmaker) and have served Haryana state selflessly as a minister,” she wrote in her post.
“The people of Hisar are my family and on the advice of my family, I am resigning from the primary membership of the Congress.”
Her decision comes days after her son Naveen Jindal, a former MP, also quit the Congress and joined Modi’s party.
According to the Forbes, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oreal, is the richest woman in the world with a net worth of $99.5bn, followed by Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, with total assets worth $72.3bn.
Julia Koch with net worth $64.3bn was ranked third on the list. She and her three children inherited a 42 per cent stake in Koch Industries from husband David following his death from prostate cancer five years ago.
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is the richest Indian with a wealth of $116bn, followed by Gautam Adani of Adani Group, with a net worth of $84bn.
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Tourists visit Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, about 112 km south of Srinagar on June 26, 2025.Getty Images
Pilgrims gather at the Baltal Base Camp near Domel, en route to the sacred Amarnath cave in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on July 29, 2025. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, proceeds under heightened security following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local pony handler. Security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the pilgrimage route, with checkpoints, surveillance, and restrictions in place to safeguard the thousands of devotees undertaking the arduous journey. The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, drawing worshippers from across India to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Despite the threat of violence and challenging terrain, pilgrims continue their spiritual trek, determined to complete the sacred journey under the shadow of grief and resilience.Getty Images
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