Wipro chairman Azim Premji has been named the 'Most Generous Indian' for the third consecutive time, according to China's Hurun Research Institute, which recently released its Indian philanthropy list. Premji's contribution for education through the Azim Premji Foundation more than doubled to £ 2.75 billion in 2015, from £1.23 billion last year.
Nandan and Rohini Nilekani came 2nd, up from the 6th spot last year with a contribution of £240.4 million. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy came in 3rd with a contribution of £132.2 million. Premji is known for giving away money for charitable causes. He had recently urged rich Indians to be more forthcoming in giving away their wealth. His foundation works to improve the quality of education across government schools in eight states.
The number of philanthropists in the latest list has shrunk to 36 from 50 in 2014. Hurun includes those who have donated at least £1 million during the year. However, the contributions from the top 10 philanthropists nearly doubled to £3.41 billion during the year, from £1.81 billion in the previous year. Premji's contribution made up about 81% of the total wealth given away.
