Courtesy-Tata Group
India’s Pioneer industrialist and founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata is the world’s biggest philanthropist of the last century with donations worth $102.4 billion which is much ahead of Bill and Melinda Gates who came in second.
In the list of 50 global philanthropists compiled by Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation, Wipro Founder-Chairman Azim Premji is the only other Indian and is ranked 12. He had gifted about $22 billion for noble causes. Major donations were made for healthcare and education need by Tata from Tata Sons’ who started his endowments as early as 1892 while Jamsetji Tata died in 1904.
Solely based on the value of listed entities, with an estimation of around $100 billion, the total philanthropic value of the Tata Group is made up of 66 per cent of Tata Sons and Ratan N Tata, Chairman Emeritus of the group, oversees the group’s philanthropic activities.
67 per cent of Wipro was transferred to the Azim Premji Endowment Fund was made by Azim Premji after signing the Giving Pledge in 2010 and was the first Indian to sign it. The elementary education system and rural government schools in India are also supported by Azim Premji Foundation which was set up in 2001.
$832 billion was the total donations from the world’s most generous individuals in the last century out of which $503 billion came in from foundation endowments and $329 billion from donations.
Followed by the UK with five, China with three, India with two and Portugal and Switzerland with one each, the United States topped the list with over 39 billionaires.