Meet India's Most Generous Man

Azim Premji: Azim Premji of software exporter Wipro gave Rs 9,713 crore in FY21, or Rs 27 million every day, to maintain his top spot among Indian donors.

According to the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021, Premji, the company's founder and chairman, boosted his gift by about a fourth during the preceding year, putting HCL's Shiv Nadar in the second position with donations of Rs 1,263 crore to upliftment causes.

With a gift of Rs 577 crore, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, India's richest man by a long shot, finished third on the list, followed by Kumar Mangalam Birla with Rs 377 crore. Gautam Adani, India's second richest man, ranks seventh on the list of philanthropists, with a gift of Rs 130 crore to disaster relief.

With a Rs 183 crore gift, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani rose to fifth place, citing "societal thinking" as the driving force.

At present, most of the money is going to fundamental aspects like education and healthcare because of the requirements on the ground. Nilekani has indeed made interesting contributions, and in 10 years, we will have broader civil society issues feature as primary causes, Hurun India’s managing director and chief researcher, Anas Rahman Junaid, said. He believes that when the age profile of the givers switches to people under 40, and many of them are self-made, an optimistic picture emerges.

There are a few new names on the list, notably Rakesh Jhunjunwala, India's greatest stock investor, who contributed a fourth of his total earnings, or Rs 50 crore, to education initiatives in FY21. According to a statement, Jhunjunwala, who recently had a private meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is one of Ashoka University's benefactors.

Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, brothers, have pledged $100 million (Rs 750 crore) over the next five years to help individuals, organisations, and businesses working on climate change solutions. They are ranked 35th on the list.

A M Naik, the former chairman of engineering company Larsen & Toubro, is ranked 11th on the list with a gift of Rs 112 crore, according to the report, adding that he has promised to give away 75% of his salary to charity. The Hinduja Family, Bajaj Family, Anil Agarwal, and the Burman Family are among the top 10 givers.

Rohini Nilekani of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies leads the list with a Rs 69 crore gift, followed by Leena Gandhi Tewari of USV with a Rs 24 crore donation, and Anu Aga of Thermax with a Rs 20 crore donation.

Mumbai topped the list with 31% of the vote, followed by New Delhi with 17% and Bengaluru with 10%. The pharmaceutical business has the most philanthropists, followed by the automotive and auto component industries, as well as software and services.