10 Billionaires Who Gave Away Half Their Wealth to Charity

BANGALORE: Billionaires giving away half of their fortune to good causes, shows their love towards humanity. Giving is great and so is connecting with others. Some of the billionaires including Indians have contributed towards philanthropy causes by giving away half of their wealth.  Let’s take look at some of the wealthy families who gave away their fortune to save the planet.

Azim Premji, Wipro

The founder of Wipro is the first Indian to sign up for the Giving Pledge campaign, led by business magnets Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. He has made a donation

worth 8, 000 crore to the cause of education and other social development in rural India. He is the third non-American after Richard Branson and David Sainsbury to join this philanthropy club. In April 2013, Azim Premji has given more than 25 percent of his personal wealth to charity. “I strongly believe that those of us, who are privileged to have wealth, should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged," said Azim Premji.

Nandan M. Nilekani, UDAI

An Entrepreneur, politician, co-Founder of Infosys, and the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, ranked as India’s third richest person with a fortune of over $13 billion has contributed to a charity founded by his wife Rohini Nilekani , that focuses on water issues such as purification, rain water harvesting and getting supplies to the poor. He has also started the New Foundation India along with historian Ram Chandra Guha. The organization supports research in social science by providing relevant scholarships.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Biocon

An entrepreneur, the chairman and managing director of Biocon, a biotechnology company based in Bangalore.She started the Biocon Foundation to improve cancer care, to conduct health and environmental programs to benefit the underprivileged. She pledged to give away 75 percent of her wealth for philanthropic causes; Shaw is the sixth highest donator in the list. The Biocon Foundation offers clinical care, generic medicines and basic tests for the poor. Each year, the Foundation touches more than 300,000 lives through its holistic healthcare approach.

READ MORE: Six Cars in 5 months: The Aggressive Maruti AND

 Wealthy States Guiding India Towards Prosperity