With total donations estimated at US$102.4bn, Mumbai-based Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904), was the world’s biggest philanthropist of the last century in the 2021 EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century
As wealth grows, family philanthropy is becoming more visible and slowly shifting away from random acts of giving food, clothes and scholarships to new and marginalised areas. In the midst of extreme challenges, charitable giving has been a silver lining. Giving back to society is deeply embedded in our culture and some of the most generous good Samaritans are Indians. With total donations estimated at US$102.4bn, Mumbai-based Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904), was the world’s biggest philanthropist of the last century in the 2021 EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century, a ranking of the world’s most generous individuals from the past century.
EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List aims at chronicling the Indian philanthropy landscape and so far, the transformation is encouraging. For instance, over the last 5 years, number of donors who have given more than INR 100 crore have grown from 2 to 15, and over 50 crores have grown from 5 to 20. Considering the wealth creation potential of India and assuming that the billionaires keep up with philanthropy
Shiv Nadar
Industrialist and founder of HCL Technologies Shiv Nadar has reclaimed ‘India’s most generous’ title with an annual donation of Rs 1,161 crore, the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2022 said.
Azim Premji
Meanwhile, Wipro’s Azim Premji slipped to the second spot with an annual donation of Rs 484 crore, The third and the fourth spot were occupied by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, respectively. Ambani donated Rs 411 crore in a year, and Birla donated Rs 242 crore in the same period.
This is the ninth annual ranking of the most generous individuals in India and this year’s EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 features individuals who have donated Rs 5 crore or more during the period under review. Nadar has been very consistent in giving and is only 8% lower than his donations in FY21. Premji’s contribution towards philanthropy has fallen by 95% year-on-year due to the exceptional share buy-back in 2021. Aremji’s two charities have been made partners in three companies that hold his 56% stake in Wipro Ltd, allowing the trusts to receive monetary gains from the shares even as Premji retains the voting rights.
The Azim Premji Foundation India Private Limited is perhaps one of the largest endowments in the world valued at $21 billion. The foundation was registered in February 2000 and was to be funded solely by Premji by way of transfer of his personal shares to the Foundation. The primary goal of the Foundation is to contribute to a society that is “a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society” as envisaged in the Constitution of India.
Mukesh Ambani
Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani channelizes his charitable activities through Reliance foundation with focus on education and healthcare. Reliance produced 1,000 tonne of oxygen every day during the second wave and provided it free to states for over 1 lakh patients. Besides, it set up 2,000 beds hospital for Covid care. Over 8.5 crore free meals were distributed to frontline workers and vulnerable communities.
Kumar Mangalam Birla & family
Kumar Mangalam Birla & family with a donation of Rs 242 crore are ranked fourth in the list. The family has contributed around Rs 75 crore in their personal capacity. The Aditya Birla Group works in 7,000 villages, reaching out to 9 million people annually. Globally, the CSR spend of the group exceeds Rs 500 crore. The main focus of the group is on healthcare, education, sustainable livelihood, infrastructure, and social reform.
Susmita and Subroto Bagchi
Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, alongside Radha and NS Parthasarathy ranked fifth with a combined donation of Rs R 425 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The contribution will help the institute to build an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital and a postgraduate medical school. This is the single largest private donation IISc has received. Both Subroto and Parthasarathy are co-founders of Mindtree.
Radha and NS Parthasarathy
The contribution will help the institute to build an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital and a postgraduate medical school.
Gautam Adani & family
With a donation of Rs 190 crore, Gautam Adani & family, 60, ranks 7th. Adani Foundation works in Education, Community Health, Sustainable Livelihoo, and Community Infrastructure Development in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Foundation donated Rs 122 crore to support Covid related relief efforts across the country.
Anil Agarwal & family
With a donation of Rs 165 crore, Anil Agarwal & family, 69, is at the 8th position. Agarwal has increased his contribution by 27% from last year. The philanthropic arm of India’s leading diversified natural resources conglomerate, Vedanta Limited is celebrating ‘Poshan Maah 2022’ by introducing 75 Poshan recipes for children and women across all Vedanta Nand Ghars. Project Nand Ghar, the flagship initiative of Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF), strives to strengthen the nutritional portion with these 75 healthy recipes.
Nandan Nilekani
With a donation of Rs 159 crore, Infosys’s Nandan Nilekani, 67, ranks 9th. Nilekani is the co-founder and chairperson of EkStep Foundation. He is the co-founder and chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited. The Nilekani’s have signed the ‘Giving Pledge’, which commits half their wealth to philanthropic causes.
AM Naik
Larsen & Toubro’s Group executive chairman AM Naik is ranked 10th with a donation of Rs 142 crore in FY2.
Youngest phipanthropist
Nikhil Kamath, 36, of Zerodha was the youngest philanthropist on the EdelGive Hurun Philanthropy List 2022. He and his brother Nithin Kamath increased their donation by 300 per cent to Rs 100 crore this year for different philanthropic causes. India’s most generous women – 2022
