India's most generous: Shiv Nadar at first, Azim Premji second
Who among India's richest were the most generous last year? The EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 answers this question. HCL founder Shiv Nadar reclaimed his title as 'India's Most Generous' last year. He was followed by another perennial top philanthropist, Wipro's Azim Premji. The FY22 list has 108 donors compared to 105 in FY21. The Top 10 cumulatively donated Rs. 3,378 crore.
Why does this story matter?
The list of India's top philanthropists for 2022 is a fine mix of young and seasoned entrepreneurs. The list shows healthy growth in personal and CSR philanthropy. Those on the list have not shied away from donating to the cause they believe in. It is encouraging to see that the contributions toward sustainable development took a major leap.
Nadar and Premji swapped places at the top
In FY22, Nadar donated a whopping Rs. 1,161 crore or Rs. 3 crore/day. Compared to the year before, his donations went down by 8%. Last year, he was placed second after Premji. Nadar's contributions were mainly focused on arts and culture. Premji had to settle for a second this time. He donated Rs. 484 crore, much lesser than Rs. 9,713 core from FY21.
Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani are in the Top 10
Mukesh Ambani, India's second-richest man, took the third spot in the philanthropy list. The richest man in the country, Gautam Adani, secured seventh place. Susmita and Subrato Bagchi, and Radha and NS Parthasarathy share the fifth position. Kumar Mangalam Birla takes the fourth rank, Vedanta's Anil Agarwal at eight, Nandan Nilekani and L&T's AM Naik come at ninth and tenth spots, respectively.
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath's donations saw a 308% jump
Brothers Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, the co-founders of Zerodha, made the biggest jump in donations in FY22. They gave away Rs. 100 crore, a 308% increase from their FY21 donations. Rohini Nilekani is India's most generous woman for 2022. She is placed 11th overall. She and her husband Nandan Nilekani have signed the Giving Pledge.
Education remains the favorite cause
In FY22, education retained its tag as the most favored philanthropic cause with 76 donors and a total donation of Rs. 1,270 crore. It is followed by healthcare and arts, culture and heritage in second and third places, respectively. In CSR contributions, Vedanta topped the list by spending Rs. 138 crore, way above its prescribed CSR of Rs. 36 crore.
