HCL founder and chairman Shiv Nadar has topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2019, released on Monday, with the highest contribution of Rs 826 crore between April 2018 and March 2019.

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Nadar, who also heads the eponymous philanthropy organisation, Shiv Nadar Foundation, was followed by Wipro’s Azim Premji who made donations worth Rs 453 crore during the qualifying period.

The top three was rounded up by Reliance Industries' chief Mukesh Amabani, who contributed Rs 402 crore to philanthropic causes.

The list, compiled by the EdelGive Foundation and Hurun Research Institute, ranked individuals from India who donated Rs 5 crore and above between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019. The amount in philanthropy contributed by Indians in the list stands at Rs 4,391 crore with an average contribution of Rs 44 crore.

The number of individuals who have contributed more than Rs 10 crore increased by around 90 percent, from last year’s 38 to 72 this year.

The report also revealed that education was the most preferred cause for donations, followed by healthcare, arts, and culture and heritage.

“Three key trends emerge from this year’s edition. First, as the rich Indians get richer their contribution to the philanthropic causes too witness a jump. Two, there remains a lot of potential for corporate India to grow well by doing good. And three, corporate India is banking and investing on education — much more than any other cause," said Anas Rahman Junaid, managing director and chief researcher, Hurun Report India.

He added: "The mega trend at play here is that the focus of philanthropy in the country is shifting from donating to empowering. It is indeed a long term play, but would surely lead to lasting change in the years to come.”

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First Published:Oct 14, 2019 12:53 PM IST