Eight Indian women in Forbes billionaires list

Forbes' 2018 'World's Billionaires' list includes a total of 256 women   - an all time high     -and their collective net worth topped $1 trillion, up 20%   since last year.

Though most of the women at the top of the list inherited their fortunes, the number of self-made women reached 72 for the first time, up from 56 a year ago, Forbes said.

Among the Indian women on the list, Savitri Jindal and family is the richest with a fortune of $8.8 billion. She is ranked 176th globally.

Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the second richest Indian woman. She is India's richest self-made woman and was ranked 629th on the list with a fortune of $3.6 billion.

"Biocon makes a range of generics to treat, among much else, autoimmune diseases, diabetes and cancer. The company is Asia's largest insulin producer with a factory in Malaysia's Johor region," Forbes said.

Other Indian women on the list include Smita Crishna-Godrej at 822nd place with a net worth of $ 2.9 billion and Leena Tewari, who chairs the privately held USV India, at 1,020th rank with a fortune of $2.4 billion.

USV specialises in diabetic and cardiovascular drugs, with a portfolio that spans biosimilar drugs, injectables and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Meanwhile, Vinod and Anil Rai Gupta were placed at the 1,103rd place with a fortune of $2.2 billion. "Mother and son Vinod and Anil Rai Gupta draw their fortune from a 43% holding in flagship Havells India," it said.

Anu Aga is the sixth richest Indian woman on the list, ranked 1,650th with a net worth of $1.4 billion.

Forbes said "after a two year hiatus, Anu Aga regained her billionaire status on a jump in shares of engineering firm Thermax, in which she owns 62%".

Sheela Gautam, who set up Sheela Foam in 1971, best known for its Sleepwell brand of mattresses, was ranked at the 1,999th place with a fortune of $1.1 billion, while newcomer Madhu Kapur, who got her fortune from a 9.3% stake in Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Yes Bank too was ranked 1,999th with a net worth of $1.1 billion.

Globally, Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, was the richest women billionaire with a net worth of $46 billion, while Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and family, who own 33% of L'Oreal stock, was the second richest woman in the world with a fortune of $42.2 billion. She was ranked 18th on the global list.

Susanne Klatten, the richest woman in Germany, who owns 19.2% of automaker BMW, is the third richest woman.

With a fortune of $25 billion, she was ranked 32nd in the list with a fortune of USD 25 billion.