Industrialist and CMD of Manikchand Group Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal passed away due to multi-organ failure this evening in a private hospital.
He was 79 and is survived by wife Shobha, a son and four daughters.
According to the hospital, where Dhariwal breathed his last, he was admitted on September 4 and was suffering from cancer.
Born in Shirur in Pune district of Maharashtra, Dhariwal inherited a bidi factory with 20 workers from his father and went on to become a gutkha baron.
He spotted potential in tobacco products and further diversified his business and ventured into gutkha business, where he made a name for himself.
Not limiting his business to gutkha, whose manufacturing and sale was banned in Maharashtra a few years ago, Dhariwal forayed into newer domains such as packaging, roller flour mills, real estate, wind energy, packaged drinking water and pet preforms (for water and edible oil).
From tobacco products, Dhariwal diversified into pan masala, mouth-fresheners, packaged water, electrical switches, and even flour mills. He is survived by his wife Shobha and five children.
Through his philanthropic entity the Rasiklal M Dhariwal Foundation, the industrialist launched projects in the areas of healthcare, education, environment and disaster management, among others.
