Asian Tech Press (OCT 08) -- According to the latest Forbes list, the total wealth of India's richest 100 people increased by $257 billion over the past year to a record $775 billion, a 50% increase.

The fastest-growing of these individuals is infrastructure tycoon Gautam Adani, who nearly tripled his fortune to $74.8 billion as the share prices of all his listed companies soared, placing him second on the list of India's richest for the third consecutive year.

Topping the chart remains Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, whose net worth now stands at $92.7 billion, an increase of 4.5 percent over the past year. This is his 13th consecutive year as the richest man in India.

More than 80 percent of the billionaires on the list have seen their wealth grow in the past year, with 61 of them increasing their wealth by more than $1 billion. The rise in technology stocks added $10.6 billion to the fortune of Shiv Nadar, founder of software giant HCL Technologies, who ranks third on the rich list with $31 billion in assets. Retail giant Radhakishan Damani retained the fourth spot, nearly doubling his net worth to $29.4 billion.