Ayush Bansal
Image: Business Standard
Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, Asia’s richest person, and his family have pledged to donate Rs 60,000 crore to a slew of social causes, to mark his 60th birthday. This corpus will be administered by the Adani Foundation.
The donation will be managed by the Adani Foundation for bolstering health care, education, and skill development, Adani told Bloomberg in an interview Thursday.
“This is one the largest transfers made to a foundation in the Indian corporate history,” he said, adding that this commitment also honors the birth centenary year of his father, Shantilal Adani.
“To utilize the potential of India’s demographic advantage, there is an ever-growing need to focus on the areas of healthcare, education, and skill development. The shortfalls in each of these areas are roadblocks to an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.’
The Adani Foundation has gained rich experience in working with communities focused on integrated development efforts across all these areas. Addressing these challenges can significantly enhance the competence and competitiveness of our future workforce,” said Adani Group in a statement.
Sharing the announcement on Twitter, Mr. Adani said, “On our father’s 100th birth anniversary & my 60th birthday, Adani Family is gratified to commit ₹ 60,000 cr in charity towards healthcare, Edu & skill-dev across India. Contribution to help build an equitable, future-ready India. (sic)”
On our father’s 100thbirth anniversary & my 60thbirthday, Adani Family is gratified to commit Rs 60,000 cr in charity towards healthcare, edu & skill-dev across India. Contribution to help build an equitable, future-ready India. @AdaniFoundation pic.twitter.com/7elayv3Cvk
— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) June 23, 2022
“The Adani Foundation has gained rich experience in working with communities focused on integrated development efforts across all these areas. Addressing these challenges can significantly enhance the competence and competitiveness of our future workforce,” the official statement added.
CommentsGautam Adani occupies the eighth spot on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. He is currently the richest person in Asia with a net worth of $91.7 billion.
Azim Premji Praise
Adani received praise from Azim Premji, the founder and chairman of Wipro and the Czar of Indian IT. A noted philanthropist himself, Premji praised Adani for pledging his wealth at the “peak of business success”, pointing at the substantial contribution to charity by the Adani group.
“The challenges and possibilities of our country demand that we work together as one, cutting across all divides of wealth, region, religion, caste, and more. I wish Gautam Adani and his Foundation the very best in this important national endeavor,” Premji added.