India is a country having several billionaires who are also included in the world's richest person list. Many of them have built a billion-dollar empire from scratch. Top businessmen in India include Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, and Gautam Adani, among others. These businessmen have also donated millions of dollars. Today, we will tell you about one such person who is India's second most charitable person. He is none other than Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro Limited.
According to EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2023, Premji donated Rs 1,774 crore during the fiscal year 2022-23. He was in the second rank after HCL Technologies' Shiv Nadar who retained the title of ‘India’s most generous' with a Rs 2,042 crore donation. Indian tech magnate Premji's Rs 249000 crore market cap company Wipro is among India's largest software services providers. Premji is also among the world's most generous billionaires, having given away USD 21 billion to his charitable foundation.
According to Forbes, he has a real-time net worth of USD 11.8 billion which is around Rs 98070 crore as of January 22, 2024. He is a graduate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. In 1966, he took the helm of the family's cooking oil business when his father died and expanded into software.
In 2001, Azim established the Azim Premji Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on enhancing quality and equity in India’s public school system. In January 2011, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award. In July 2019, Premji's son Rishad, succeeded his father as Wipro's executive chairman. In 2020, his Azim Premji Foundation pledged USD 150 million to provide aid for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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