Here’s a List of India’s Most Generous People of 2021

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal”‒ Albert Pike. Philanthropy is defined as a person’s action or desire to pursue the welfare of others for a good cause, usually through providing financial assistance. Philanthropy is regarded as a virtue that should be possessed by all people. Giving back to society has long been a part of Indian culture, and it’s inspiring to see our leaders and top entrepreneurs carrying on this tradition and virtue. The 8th edition of the Philanthropy List 2021 was announced by Hurun India and EdelGive which contains the list of the top Indian philanthropists based on the value of their donations between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. Famous industrialists and business tycoons including Azim Premji, Mukesh Ambani, Shiv Nadar, and Gautam Adani have made it to the top 10 philanthropists in India list for 2021. Let’s know more about the top 10 Indian philanthropists in this blog! 

Know What Can We Learn From These Great Personalities!

Top Indian Philanthropists in FY21

Here is a list of the top 10 Indian philanthropists who have topped the charts by donating the maximum amount of money in the country in the financial year 2021 (FY21) for a better cause, as per the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021: 

Rank	Name	Donation in 2021 (INR Cr)	Company
1	Azim Premji & family	9,713	Wipro
2	Shiv Nadar & family	1,263	HCL Technologies
3	Mukesh Ambani & family	577	Reliance Industries
4	Kumar Mangalam Birla & family	377	Aditya Birla
5	Nandan Nilekani	183	Infosys
6	Hinduja family	166	Hinduja
7	Bajaj family	136	Bajaj
=8	Gautam Adani & family	130	Adani
=8	Anil Agarwal & family	130	Vedanta
10	Burman family	114	Dabur India

Note: The EdelGive Foundation collaborated with Hurun India to produce this report in order to better understand philanthropic giving in India through data and evidence. The report is important not only for interpreting given data but also for shedding light on the sectors and geographies that benefit from it. It follows the Hurun India Rich List, a ranking of 1,007 of India’s wealthiest people, which was announced in September 2021 for the 10th year and from which we have listed the top 10 Indian philanthropists in the above table.

Azim Premji & Family

Azim Premji, the ‘czar of the Indian IT industry’ and the founder chairman of Wipro, is by far the most famous and leading Indian philanthropist, who is always leading the charts of philanthropy in India. In FY21, Azim Premji and his family contributed Rs 9,713 crore, or Rs 27 crore per day, putting them at the top of the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021. In June, the Azim Premji Foundation virtually quadrupled its pandemic funding, from Rs 1,125 crore to Rs 2,125 crore, to extend immunisation efforts across 10 states, with a promise to augment it even more if the need arises.

Shiv Nadar & Family

Shiv Nadar, the founder and chairman of HCL Technologies and one of India’s wealthiest men, succeeded to keep his seat on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021 by contributing Rs 1,263 crore to arts, culture, and rural change. As of now in the FY21, Nadar has invested nearly a billion dollars through the foundation, directly impacting over 30,000 students and hence becoming one of the top Indian philanthropists. The Shiv Nadar Foundation alone donated Rs 70 crore to COVID pandemic relief in 2021.

Also, read about Roshni Nadar – The Powerful Businesswoman Of India

Mukesh Ambani & Family

Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, has made the list of top Indian philanthropists since he is the country’s largest disaster relief and management donor. Mukesh Ambani & family along with his firm Reliance Industries Ltd gave Rs 557 crore in the previous fiscal year, placing them third on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021. RIL generated approximately 1000 metric tonnes of medical-grade liquid oxygen every day, accounting for 11% of India’s total output, and distributed over 55,000 metric tonnes of medical-grade liquid oxygen for free across the country.

Kumar Mangalam Birla & Family 

With a donation of Rs 377 crore, the Kumar Mangalam Birla family came in fourth on our list of top Indian philanthropists, with almost a 47% rise from FY20. The Aditya Birla Group also contributed to the PM CARES Fund Rs 400 crore and the FICCI-Aditya Birla CSR Centre for Excellence Rs 50 crore. During the pandemic and countrywide lockdown, Birla has set aside Rs 50 crore for the delivery of N95 masks, personal protective equipment, and ventilators in India.

Nandan Nilekani & Family 

Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of Infosys and a key figure in India’s most ambitious digital initiative, Aadhaar, is ranked 5th on the list of top Indian philanthropists, having donated Rs 183 crore to support India’s think tanks as well as societal forums. Furthermore, in 2017, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani signed the Giving Pledge, pledging to donate half of their wealth to charity.

Hinduja Brothers

The 4 siblings and owners of the Hinduja Group, Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok Hinduja, who are collectively known as the Hinduja brothers, are ranked sixth on EdelGive Hurun’s list of top Indian philanthropists for the year 2021. The Hinduja Group donated Rs 166 crore towards the country’s water conservation and education efforts.

Bajaj Family 

The Bajaj family is ranked seventh on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021 with a donation of Rs 136 crore in FY21. The Bajaj family has a long history of philanthropy and is one of the biggest Indian philanthropists in the field of livelihood enhancement. In May of this year, they announced a donation of Rs 200 crore to help strengthen capacity and resources to combat the pandemic. This was in addition to the Bajaj Group’s donation of Rs 100 crore in FY 21.

Gautam Adani & Family

Gautam Adani, a rising Indian billionaire industrialist and the chairman and founder of the Adani Group, donated Rs 130 crore in FY21. As a result, he is ranked eighth on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Adani Foundation works in education, community health, sustainable livelihood, and community infrastructure development. The Foundation contributed Rs 122 crore to relief activities relating to COVID-19 across the country during the pandemic.

Anil Agarwal

By giving an annual donation of Rs 130 crore, Anil Agarwal, the founder and Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, shares the eighth rank with Gautam Adani on the EdelGive Hurun’s list of top Indian philanthropists in the year 2021. The Anil Agarwal Foundation unveiled the Rs 5,000 crore ‘Swasth Gaon Abhiyaan’ in July this year, which will give end-to-end healthcare solutions to 1,000 villages spanning 24 districts and 12 states in the country.

Burman Family

With an annual donation of Rs 114 crore, the Burman family, which owns Dabur India, ranked 10th on the list of top Indian philanthropists for the year 2021. To protect and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dabur Group has also launched the ‘Dabur Care Fund for COVID-19.’

It’s time for a quick break and what’s better to read about the Top Entrepreneurs in India and their Success Stories!

Top Indian Women Philanthropists 

After knowing the top Indian philanthropists that are leading the charts of EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2021, here is another list of top Indian women philanthropists that all must know about:

Name of Top Indian Women Philanthropists	Donation (in Rs crore)	Primary Cause	Company
Rohini Nilekani	47	Environmental sustainability	Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
Renu Munjal & family	17	Education	Hero MotoCorp
Manju D Gupta & family	19	Rural development	Lupin
Leena Gandhi Tewari	9	Healthcare	USV
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw	34	Education	Biocon
Kavita Yadupati Singhania & family	5	Rural development	JK Cement
Anu Aga & family	36	Education	Thermax

Post knowing the top Indian women philanthropist, here’s a blog on Famous Women Entrepreneurs in India for you to read! 

Top Philanthropic Cause in 2021

Here’s a list of the top 10 philanthropic causes of top Indian philanthropists for the year 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: 

Rank	Cause	No. of Donors	Highest Indian Philanthropist Donation	Highest Individual Donation for the cause (INR Cr)
1	Education	72	Azim Premji	8,501
2	Disaster Relief	60	Azim Premji	1,179
3	Health Care	65	Mukesh Ambani	182
4	Arts, Culture & Heritage	26	Shiv Nadar	721
5	Rural Transformation	42	Azim Premji	62
6	Societal Thinking	2	Nandan Nilekani	138
7	Environment & Sustainability	44	Azim Premji	24
8	Livelihood Enhancement	24	Bajaj family	30
9	Social Development	11	Nandan Nilekani	34
10	Sports For Development	29	Mukesh Ambani	25

So these were the top Indian philanthropists of 2021 whose contributions and donations are helping as well as funding the change in society in India. For more such amazing and interesting read, stay tuned with Leverage Edu and follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn.