Azim Premji tops India’s philanthropists’ list

Azim Premji (69), who donated Rs 12,316 crore between April 2013 and October 2014, has topped the list of philanthropists in India. Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources came in a distant second, donating Rs 1,796 crore, only about one-seventh of Premji’s donations. According to the list, compiled by Shanghai-based Hurun Research Institute (HRI), 50 people donated at least RS 10 crore during this period.

Shiv Nadar, Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani were ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Premji topped the list last time as well. As per HRI’s ‘India rich list’ issued in October 2014, Premji was the fourth richest Indian in terms of personal wealth with a net value of Rs 86,100 crore at the time Hurun Research “includes cash and cash equivalents pledged with legally binding commitments for the period and includes significant donations up to the date of publication. It included donations made by companies in which an individual had a significant share, by applying the percentage the individual has of the company on the donations.

“The list is a good representation of responsible entrepreneurship in India. It is interesting to note that many entrepreneurs in India consider religious donations as philanthropy. In this context, we would have missed many more in India,” said Anas Rahman Junaid, publisher-at-large of Hurun Report India - the Indian wing of the Shanghai-based institute.