List of Top 15 Philanthropists in India

A philanthropist is a term related to a person who is capable of helping the needy with the resources they have, especially money. Philanthropists help needy people create a better world and, so to say, improve the economy of a country. The constant effort to promote human welfare makes a person an actual philanthropist.

India is a country that has umpteen slums in every city. People living in such slums are so poor and needy that our industrialists and rich heads come forward to help them during their hard times. In the recent times, these philanthropists donated as much as they could. Here is the top philanthropists' list in India:

Shiv Nadar and Family

Shiv Nadar, the founder of a multi-billion company (HCL Technologies) donates a huge amount of his earnings through the foundation named after him, Shiv Nadar Foundation. The foundation's focus is empowering individuals through education to bridge the socio-economic divide.

He is widely regarded as the biggest philanthropist in India and believes that every person should be well educated thus has the aim to establish institutions and schools in the underdeveloped and rural areas of our country. Some of his famous institutions are the SSN Institution, VidyaGyan & Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Shiv Nadar donated 5% more than FY2023 with a total of INR 2153 crores making him the top philanthropist in India for 2024.

Mukesh Ambani and Family

Mukesh Ambani, one of the richest people in the world is also a big philanthropist who founded the Reliance Foundation, a non-profit organization in 2010. This Foundation‘s objective is to promote sustainable growth in India.

The Reliance Foundation is run by Mrs. Nita Ambani who has a focus on rural transformation, health, education, and sports for development. Every year the foundation donates an amount of approximately INR 407 crores to such programs and NGOs. Mukesh Ambani and his family are second in the top 10 philanthropists of India for 2024.

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Bajaj Family

The Bajaj family, Indian philanthropists, has made notable contributions and has been actively involved in philanthropic activities in the country where they have established their business. Their charitable endeavors have demonstrated a commitment to giving back to society and have had a significant impact on the communities they serve.

Their contribution of INR 352 crore to the cause is a testament to their unwavering commitment to charity and social welfare. This achievement marks their first appearance on the prestigious list since its inception and highlights their dedication to making a tangible impact through their acts of kindness. Bajaj Family is the third in the top 10 philanthropists of India for 2024.

Kumar Mangalam Birla and Family

The chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla donated a huge amount of his profits to the PM CARES FUND and helped actively people during the COVID-19 pandemic times to do the needful.

His focus is on the poor who don’t have enough financial resources to pay their hospital bills and get proper treatment. He frequently visits the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital to check up on its welfare and services. He is one of the top philanthropists in India for 2024.

Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani is a true entrepreneur in every sense. He has businesses in almost every sector. He believes a lot in helping and is always donating finances through the Adani Foundation to the needful.

Adani Foundation is based on the Gandhian Philosophy of Trusteeship. The main motive is to facilitate quality education, enable youth with skills, and promote society through infrastructural development. He also donated an amount of INR 88 Crores during the COVID-19 period to the PM Cares Fund. With a donation of INR 330 crore, Gautam Adani is the 5th in the top 10 philanthropists in India for 2024.

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Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani is the co-founder of Infosys. In 1978, he started his career at Infosys, and now he is one of India’s biggest entrepreneurs and a big philanthropist. He and his wife started donating small amounts of their income to poor people, and in 2017, both of them decided to donate 50% of their wealth to an NPO, which is operated by Bill Gates Foundation.

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Krishna Chivukula

Krishna Chivukula, chairman of INDO-MIM, has donated INR 228 crore to IIT Madras. This is the largest donation the institute has ever received. The money will be used for fellowships for top BTech students, sports programs, and important research projects. He is now ranked 7th on the list of top donors.

Anil Agarwal

Anil Agarwal founded the Vedanta foundation on 15th September 1992, to help in creating more employment for sustainable development. Vedanta Foundation aims to achieve development through programs in the form of initiatives with a broad focus mainly on education, nutrition, and livelihood. He is one of the top philanthropists in India for 2024.

Their main objective is to focus on the school children, to provide them with proper nutrition, training, and knowledge about the digital world, which helps them to grow and grab better job opportunities.

Susmita and Subroto Bagchi

Mindtree founder Subroto Bagchi and his wife Susmita are now in the top 10 donors list. They donated INR 179 crore, 63% more than last year. They focus on education and started the Bagchi School of Public Health at Ahmedabad University in 2023.

Rohini Nilekani

Rohini Nilekani, a philanthropist in India, has been a beacon of hope for those in need with her consistent and generous donations of INR 15470 crore in 2024. Her unwavering dedication towards philanthropic causes is evident from her pledge to donate half of her wealth to noble works through the 'Giving Pledge.' She has been actively involved in various initiatives and programs aimed at uplifting society and making a positive impact on the lives of people. Her philanthropic efforts have touched the lives of many, and she continues to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

Azim Premji

Mr. Azim Premji is one of the most respected Indian Business tycoons, and also a top Indian philanthropist as he’s been donating his time, money, and experience to the people who are in the utmost need.

Recently, he has donated most of his wealth to all other philanthropists so they can pass on the resources to the right place at the right time. He has a trust named Azim Premji Foundation, which gives grants to non-profit organizations that work for the most vulnerable people in our society by providing them with the essential services required to carry out a healthy life. He is considered one of the most famous philanthropist in India.

Ajay Piramal

Ajay Piramal, who owns a business of 460 crores, is a well-known philanthropist and also believes in donating for the good. He started his philanthropic career in 2006 by forming a group named the Piramal Foundation. His main objective was healthcare. As he became a pharmaceutical company he realized the need for a better healthcare system in India.

Presently the foundation works in four areas that are: Healthcare, Education, Better Livelihood, and Youth empowerment. Ajay donates around INR 200 crores every year to India's needy population and is counted as one of the biggest philanthropist in India.

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Shrichand Hinduja

Following the legacy left by his father, Shrichand Hinduja is one of the leading businessmen and a big philanthropist in India. Hinduja Foundation was founded in 1970 with the objective of ending poverty in the country.

The foundation has done various initiatives to identify and enhance the efficiency of water usage in rural areas. They also focus on the healthcare facilities available to remote areas and help in the sustainable development of small villages and towns.

Sudhir Mehta

Sudhir Mehta is a well-known philanthropist in India, owning the Torrent group, which deals in the gas and power business. He donates a lot to the Gujarati community and the Jain people. Sudhir helps the people by giving the poor children a proper source of education and healthy meals to eat. He dreams of achieving a 100% literacy rate in India.

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Cyrus and Adar Poonawalla

Cyrus S. Poonawalla and Adar Poonawalla, who represent the Serum Institute of India, have made an outstanding contribution of INR 179 crore to the India Philanthropy List 2023. The Poonawalla brothers have been particularly focused on the healthcare industry, which reflects a remarkable 60% increase in their donations from the previous year.

Their continued support of charitable activities related to the healthcare sector is further illustrated by their additional contribution of $19.08 million from Serum Inc. and Serum Institute Life Science-UK. All these contributions from famous philanthropists are a testament to their unwavering commitment to improving the healthcare sector in India.

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Conclusion

The nation requires philanthropists in India who give their best efforts to make the country a better place to live. Such people who are capable of helping others should be appreciated as they are the people who can transform India by filling the gaps that others cannot. The above list of philanthropists in India highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to society through generous donations, particularly in areas like education, healthcare, and research.

FAQs

Who is the greatest philanthropist in India?

Shiv Nadar is considered one of the greatest philanthropists in India, as he has donated around ₹2,153 crores in 2024.

Who is a philanthropist?

A philanthropist is a person who donates his/her time, money, experience, and skills to help create a better world.

What is an example of philanthropy?

An example of philanthropy would be giving money to charity or volunteering.

Who is India's most charitable person?

Azim Premji, one of India's most respected business tycoons, is widely regarded as the country's most charitable person for his extensive philanthropic contributions.