Azim Premji, 70, chairman of Wipro, is the most generous Indian of the year for the third time in a row with donations worth Rs. 27,514 crore to the education sector, says Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015.
The top five contributors on the list belonged to the information technology industry. Mr. Premji is followed by Nandan Nilekani and wife, Rohini Nilekani, with donations of Rs. 2,404 crore, while Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy stood third with donations of Rs. 1,322 crore.
The Azim Premji foundation works in the education sector with operations in eight States and over 3,50,000 schools.
The top five are also the biggest wealth creators on the Hurun India Rich List. The richest Indian, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries (RIL), stood sixth on the philanthropy list with donations of Rs. 345 crore.
K Dinesh, after retiring from Infosys in 2011, has been actively involved in philanthropic ventures in education, entrepreneurship encouragement and health care. With donations of Rs. 1,238 crore, he shot into the top 10 for the first time with fourth rank.
Dinesh is followed by Shiv Nadar, promoter of $6.3 billion HCL Technologies, India’s fourth-largest software company, as he donated Rs. 525 crore to various charitable activities through the Shiv Nadar Foundation. “I had the opportunity to visit Mr. Nadar’s foundation and university. His mission to impart contemporary education in poorest villages sets a good example for practical philanthropy in India”, said Anas Rahman Junaid, Business Head, Hurun Report India.
Mr. Ambani donated Rs. 345 crore towards health care through Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm to promote sustainable growth in India. This year only 36 individuals made it to the Hurun India Philanthropy List compared with 50 last year. Rohan Murthy is a good example of the new generation of Indian philanthropists, according to the report.
