Skip to main content

Upper Castes dominate the billionaire class very strongly

1. Wealth Concentration by Caste

  • According to research using World Inequality Lab data, over 85–88% of Indian billionaire wealth is held by upper castes (Brahmins, Baniyas, Kayasthas, and other savarna groups).

  • OBCs account for only around 9%, and SCs around 2–3%. STs are effectively absent among billionaires.

  • This shows a massive overrepresentation of upper castes in the top wealth bracket compared to their population share (upper castes are about 20–25% of India’s population).

2. Historical and Structural Reasons

  1. Access to Capital & Networks

    • Upper castes historically had access to land, business networks, and education under both colonial and post-independence systems.

    • These advantages accumulate over generations, making it easier to scale businesses into billionaire wealth.

  2. Education & Professional Opportunities

    • Many upper-caste families were overrepresented in elite education and professional fields, giving them high-paying opportunities and entrepreneurial leverage.

  3. Entrepreneurship & Urban Advantage

    • A lot of billionaire wealth comes from sectors like finance, tech, and real estate, where upper-caste entrepreneurs have historically dominated.

    • Social networks, mentorship, and access to urban markets have reinforced this dominance.

3. Implications

  • The dominance of upper castes at the top underscores structural inequality: caste still matters massively in India’s economic hierarchy.

  • Policies like OBC reservations, affirmative action, and entrepreneurship support have helped some disadvantaged groups, but wealth creation at the billionaire scale remains heavily skewed.

  • This is reflected not just in wealth but also in political clout, social influence, and access to elite institutions.

In short: the Indian billionaire club is overwhelmingly upper caste, both in number and in the share of wealth. OBCs and other marginalized communities are still underrepresented at the very top, despite population share and policy interventions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unveiling the "Real Majority" of India

Unveiling the "Real Majority": Divya Dwivedi’s Critique of the Hindu Majority Narrative * In contemporary Indian discourse, the notion of a "Hindu majority" is often taken as an unassailable fact, with official statistics frequently citing approximately 80% of India’s population as Hindu. This framing shapes political campaigns, cultural narratives, and even national identity. However, philosopher and professor at IIT Delhi, Divya Dwivedi, challenges this narrative in her provocative and incisive work, arguing that the "Hindu majority" is a constructed myth that obscures the true social composition of India. For Dwivedi, the "real majority" comprises the lower-caste communities—historically marginalized and oppressed under the caste system—who form the numerical and social backbone of the nation. Her critique, developed in collaboration with philosopher Shaj Mohan, offers a radical rethinking of Indian society, exposing the mechanisms of power t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mallanna Unleashes TRP: A New Dawn for Marginalized Voices in Telangana's Power Game

On September 17, 2025, Chintapandu Naveen Kumar, popularly known as Teenmar Mallanna—a prominent Telugu journalist, YouTuber, and former Congress MLC—launched the Telangana Rajyadhikara Party (TRP) in Hyderabad at the Taj Krishna Hotel. The event, attended by Backward Classes (BC) intellectuals, former bureaucrats, and community leaders, marked a significant moment for marginalized groups in Telangana. Mallanna, suspended from Congress in March 2025 for anti-party activities (including criticizing and burning the state's caste survey report), positioned TRP as a dedicated platform for BCs, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), minorities, and the economically weaker sections. The party's vision emphasizes "Samajika Telangana" (a socially just Telangana) free from fear, hunger, corruption, and prejudice, with a focus on inclusive development and responsible governance. Key highlights from the launch: Symbolism : The date coincided with Periyar Jayanti and V...
Post a Comment
Read more

Raise of RSS-affiliated think tanks

Since 2014, the number of think tanks affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has significantly increased. India had 192 think tanks in 2014, which surged to 612 by 2021, reflecting a notable rise in nationalist-oriented institutions like the India Foundation and the Vivekananda International Foundation  This growth is part of a broader strategy to challenge leftist intellectual dominance and promote a "New India" ideology through policy research and public discourse. The main goals of RSS-affiliated think tanks include: Promoting Hindutva Ideology : They aim to spread the ideology of Hindutva to strengthen the Hindu community and uphold Indian culture and civilizational values Challenging Leftist Dominance : These think tanks seek to counter the intellectual hegemony of leftist ideologies in India, providing an alternative narrative in policy discourse Supporting Government Policies : They produce research and reports that s...
Post a Comment
Read more