Shiv Nadar tops philanthropy list with ₹2,042-crore donations

Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Technologies, has retained the top spot for the second consecutive year as the leading Indian philanthropist with annual donations of ₹2,042 crore, a report has said. The 78-year-old has topped the chart for the third time in five years.

Nadar’s contributions, which have gone up by 76% compared to the 2022 rankings, have predominantly centered around arts and culture and include support to VidyaGyan, Shiv Nadar University, Shiv Nadar School, Shiksha Initiative, and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, said the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023 that was released on Thursday.

Featured in the second position was Wipro founder Azim Premji, 78, who donated ₹1,774 crore primarily towards education-related causes. This is a jump of 267% from his previous contributions.

Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla of Aditya Birla Group emerged third and fourth with contributions of ₹376 crore and ₹287 crore respectively.

The philanthropy list ranks individuals who have donated ₹5 crore or more in cash or cash equivalents from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

Whil the top four retained their positions Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani has climbed up two rankings from 2022 to fifth spot with donations worth ₹285 crore for educational causes. The Bajaj family jumped up 11 places to end up sixth on the list with ₹264-crore donations, primarily in the education sector.

Vedanta Group’s Anil Agarwal and family donated ₹241 crore annually for charity causes in the healthcare sector. Anil Agarwal Foundation backs the project Nand Ghar launched in 2015. It envisions transforming the lives of seven crore children and two crore women across 13.7 lakh anganwadis in India.

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and his wife Rohini, who heads Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, figure in the list on the 8th and 10th positions with annual donations of ₹189 crore and ₹170 crore respectively. The Nilekanis have signed the ‘Giving Pledge’, committing half their wealth to philanthropic activities.

Cyrus and Adar Poonawala of Serum Institute of India are ranked 9th with annual donations of ₹179 crore for healthcare causes. They have climbed up four places.

The top 10 cumulatively donated ₹5,806 crore in 2022-23 against a combined contribution of ₹3,034 crore in the previous financial year.

Apart from Nilekani, three others from Infosys featured on the list - Kris Gopalakrishnan, K Dinesh and SD Shibulal who contributed ₹93 crore, ₹47 crore and ₹35 crore respectively. There are also seven women philanthropists led by Rohini Nilekani. They include Thermax Group’s Anu Aga and USV Group’s Leena Gandhi Tewari with donations of ₹23 crore each to education and healthcare sectors.

Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation, said, “Moving into the fourth year, the EdelGive Hurun partnership is one of the most rewarding ones we have had. While creating the most authoritative lists of philanthropists in India, our aim is to document and analyse the evolving patterns of philanthropic giving in the country. Through the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023, we deep dive into the motivations and thoughts that drive these eminent philanthropists to contribute towards a plethora of causes.”

“This year is a record year for big philanthropy. In the last five years, the number of donors contributing over ₹100 crore has surged from 2 to 14, and those donating over ₹50 crore has risen from 5 to 24. Given India’s potential for wealth creation and assuming a continued commitment to philanthropy by billionaires, I anticipate these figures will double over the next five years,” Anas Rahman Junaid, MD and chief researcher, Hurun India, said.