People donate to a plethora of causes – arts & culture, healthcare, and non-profit entities, to name a few. These donations help organizations improve their already existing facilities. Some people have also donated to educational institutes and those donations have helped the colleges and its students in multiple ways.
Let’s take a look at 10 biggest donations received by Indian institutions from various people that have helped these colleges in myriad ways.
1. IIT Bombay – ₹160 crore
In a first, IIT Bombay received a whopping ₹160 crore donation from an anonymous ex-student. The college received this donation in August 2023 and its director Subhasis Chaudhuri said, “It is the first time that we have received an anonymous donation”.
2. IIT Kanpur – ₹100 crore
In April 2022, IIT-Kanpur alumnus Rakesh Gangwal (co-founder of IndiGo), donated ₹100 crore contribution towards developing and supporting the school of medical sciences on its premises. Gangwal graduated from the college in 1975.
3. IIT Bombay – ₹315 crore
Co-founder of Infosys and IIT-B 1973 alumnus, Nandan Nilekani, announced a donation of ₹315 crore to the institute in June 2023. Previously, he had donated ₹85 crore which was partly used to build the hostel facilities. The ₹315 crore donation will be made over a period of five years.
4. IISc Bengaluru – ₹425 crore
In February 2022, philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, and Radha and NS Parthasarathy collectively donated ₹425 crore to the Indian Institute of Science to set up a postgraduate medical school along with an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital on its campus. The hospital will be named the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital. It is claimed that the hospital will be operational by the end of 2024.
5. Hindu College – ₹1 crore
Raj Bhargava, retired IAS and an alumnus of Hindu College, donated ₹1 crore for a scholarship foundation in July 2022. Five students won the scholarship in the inaugural year. As per reports, two students won prize money of ₹75,000 and a tablet device; the other two received a laptop each; and the fifth student received a tablet.
6. BITS Pilani – ₹10 crore
Rakesh Kapoor, an alumnus of BITS Pilani, donated ₹10 crore to the institute in January 2023. As per reports, the donation will be used to fund the creation of a state-of-the-art Centre of Innovation on the campus.
7. IISc Bengaluru – ₹105 crore
Quess Corp founder, Ajit Issac and his wife Sarah Issac, donated ₹105 crore to IISc Bengaluru for the creation of the Centre for Public Health. This centre will be a part of the upcoming medical school on the campus. The duo donated the amount in March 2022.
8. IISc Bengaluru – ₹225 crore
In 2014, Infosys co-founder, Kris Gopalakrishnan, announced a 10-year grant of ₹225 crore to establish the Centre for Brain Research in the IISc campus. As the 10-year period is nearing its conclusion, Gopalakrishnan has further reinforced his donation by pledging an additional grant of ₹450 crore over the next decade.
9. IIT Delhi – ₹75 crore
A US-based alumnus of IIT-D, Anant Yardi, donated ₹75 crore to his alma mater in November 2021. Speaking to the media, IIT Delhi director Ramagopal Rao revealed that the donation will be used to create state-of-the-art laboratories and attract students and researchers to its newly established School of Artificial Intelligence.
10. Banaras Hindu University – ₹60 lakh
In June 2023, Banaras Hindu University received ₹60 lakh from the family of its alumni for starting 12 new scholarships. Ten of these scholarships will be awarded to women students on a merit cum means basis.
Glad to see people giving back to their alma mater.