India is now home to the record number of rich people — it had 142 billionaires at last count — but they’re also giving away record amounts of their money to charity.
HCL founder Shiv Nadar was India’s most generous donor as per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2022. Nadar gave away Rs. 1,161 crore in charity, which translated to over Rs. 3 crore per day. Wipro founder Azim Premji, who had been India’s largest donor last year, slipped to second spot after gaving away Rs. 484 crore to charity. These were India’s biggest donors for 2022 who gave the most money to charity.
1. Shiv Nadar, HCL
Donations: Rs. 1161 crore
HCL founder Shiv Nadar is currently India’s fourth-richest person, but he topped the list of Indians who gave the most to charity. Nadar gave away Rs. 1,161 crore this year, which was 8% more than his contribution last year. Nadar’s contribution amounted to a stunning Rs 3 crore per day that he gave to philanthropic activities. Most of Nadar’s charity went towards the cause of education.
2. Azim Premji, Wipro
Donations: Rs. 484 crore
Until last year, Wipro’s Azim Premji had been India’s biggest donor, giving away thounsands of crore to charity. But his contribution fell 95% this year, perhaps thanks to a share buyback instituted by Wipro in 2021. Premji still remains the second most charitable Indian, having given away Rs 484 crore this year to philanthropic causes.
3. Mukesh Ambani, Reliance
Donations: Rs. 411 crore
Mukesh Ambani has lost of title of being India’s richest man to Gautam Adani, but he’s still number three on the list of Indians who gave the most to charity last year. Ambani gave away Rs. 411 crore as donations, mostly in the field of education.
4. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group
Donations: Rs. 242 crore
Kumar Mangalam Birla is fourth on the list of the most charitable Indians. He donated Rs. 242 crore last year, most of which went towards healthcare initiatives. Birla philanthropic contributions, thorugh, were down 36% from the previous year.
5. Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, Mindtree
Donations: Rs. 213 crore
Subroto Bagchi had quit Wipro in 1998 to launch his own IT firm, Mindtree. The company went public in 2007, and is now a well-recognized name in India’s IT space. Bagchi and his wife Susmita have donated Rs. 213 crore this year, earning them the fifth spot. This is the first time they’ve made it to the list of Indians who’ve given the most to charity.
6. Radha and NS Parthasarathy, Mindtree
Donations: Rs. 213 crore
Subroto Bagchi is followed by NS Parthasarthy, his cofounder in Mindtree. Parthasarthy has since left Mindtre, but him and his wife Radha have donated an identical Rs. 213 crore this year, chiefly towards healthcare initiatives. This is the first time that they too are on the list of most charitable Indians.
7. Gautam Adani, Adani Group
Donation: Rs. 190 crore
Gautam Adani has had an incredible year, and had become the second richest man in the world. On his 60th birthday, Adani had pledged an astounding Rs. 60,000 crore to charity. This year, he’s seventh of the list of the biggest Indian philanthropists with a donation of Rs. 190 crore, chiefly in the areas of disaster relief. Adani’s donation was 46% higher than his donation last year.
8. Anil Agarwal, Vedanta
Donations: Rs. 165 crore
Vedanta is having a good year as well, having decided to build a massive semiconductor plant in Gujarat. Chaiman Anil Agarwal was on the list of the most philanthropic Indians with a donation of Rs. 165 crore. Agarwal’s donation was 27% higher than the amount he’d donated last year, and went chiefly towards disaster relief.
9. Nandan Nilekani, Infosys
Donations: Rs. 159 crore
Nandan Nilekani was the founder of Infosys, has has worn many hats since then. He’s fought elections, and also been the brains behind many of Digital India’s most prominent schemes, including Aadhar and the Account Aggregator framework. Nilekani donated Rs. 159 crore last year, putting him 9th on the list of Indians who give the most to charity.
10. AM Naik, Larsen & Toubro
Donations: Rs. 142 crore
AM Naik had started off as an engineer at Larsen and Turbo at a salary of just Rs. 760, but has risen through the ranks to become its Chairman. Naik is tenth on the list of the most philanthropic Indians having given away Rs. 142 crore to charity last year.