With Rs 1.45 lakh cr in endowment, Azim Premji feels it is not enough

Even after giving Rs 1.45 lakh crore as endowment the philanthropic industry captain Azim Premji, Founding Chairman of Wipro Limited feels it is not enough. He is the Czar of industry, a great educationist and a compassionate philanthropist too. Till now, he has donated 21 billion USD (Rs 1.45 lakh crore) to the Azim Premji Foundation which are used for philanthropic programmes. He runs not-for-profit educational institutions. Wipro has earned name worldwide. Padma Vibhusan Premji was in city on Saturday to visit National Cancer Institute (NCI). He talked to ‘The Hitavada’ and shared the programmes and inspiration behind his philanthropical approach.

Azim Premji, Founding Chairman of Wipro Limited, accompanied by Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro Limited; Anurag Behar, Vice-Chancellor, Azim Premji University and CEO of Azim Premji Foundation, Nalinikanth (Nal) Gollagunta, President and CEO, GE Healthcare, India and South Asia visited National Cancer Institute (NCI) on Saturday. Chairman of NCI Adv Sunil Manohar, Shailesh Joglekar, General Secretary, National Cancer Institute took Premji for the internal tour of the hospital. He expressed satisfaction over the set-up of NCI and said that he was highly impressed by the hospital management as every minute thing was well taken care of. Anand Aurangabadkar, Treasurer of NCI; Dr Anand Pathak, Medical Director, Col. K K Sharma, Joint Director; Dr Prakash Kakani, Medical Superintendent and others were present. (Pic by Anil Futane)

Excerpts: Corporate Social Responsibility is a small terminology as far as your philanthropical work is concerned. What prompted you to contribute so much to the society? Azim Premji: I think when people, who have bigger wealth, have greater responsibilities. One should think how much can one consume. When it becomes a matter of trust then one must understand, one is the trustee of that wealth and not the owner. My mother, at the age of 27, had set up a orthopaedic hospital for children. She did not practice medicine.

Azim Premji, Founding Chairman of Wipro Limited; Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro Limited; Anurag Behar, Vice- Chancellor, Azim Premji University and CEO of Azim Premji Foundation; Shailesh Joglekar, General Secretary, National Cancer Institute and Vikas Telang, Karyalaya Pramukh of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh paying respects at the Samadhi of second Sarsanghchalak of RSS Golwalkar Guruji. (Pic by Satish Raut)

The children with crippled polio, cerebral palsy were treated at the hospital. It was a not-for-profit hospital. She ran the hospital by visiting personally and did it till she attained the age of 78 years. Incredible hospital run by incredibly dedicated workmen and doctors. It was very difficult to find workmen in the highly unionised situation in Mumbai. She did it with full dedication without any expectation. What can one need to get inspired by? You are successful industrialist, educationist and philanthropist. How do you play your multifaceted role? Azim Premji: It is not the question about me only. We have good people. We have 1,800 people in our organisation. We are in the field where we improve the teaching ability of the teachers.

We are present with 50 centres in 7 states and engaged 40,000. This is our one area which is a depth area. Then we have not-so-profit universities. We run courses like Masters in Education, Masters in Law for Community Development, Bachelor of Education (BEd) etc. 90% cost of the university is borne by the Azim Premji Foundation. The cost recovered from the student is only 10 per cent. We typically focus on getting students to the universities from small area. 2,000 students graduate and 90% of them have gone back to the social services. We have 12 weeks of intensive training as part of their holidays in the field that’s how they generate their commitment to their work. You are giving ready-made manpower to society? In a way it is a kind of providing fully trained manpower to the society? Azim Premji: Yes. But we employ only 15 per cent of them.

The remaining 85% are being employed either by social service organisations or the ones run by Governments. Third initiative is we fund NGOs working in various areas. This funding we started three years ago. Organisations working for the welfare of runaway children, old homeless people, women who got abused at homes approach us and we see to it, they are running some strategic programmes and we finance them. We are also running nutrition programme with Odisha Government where the Government at Centre too is involved. Improving nutrition is very important as poor nutrition results in stunting, low brain development.

It is being extensively run in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra too. You also provide help to undertrials whose cases are pending since long and they can’t afford lawyers to stand with them? Azim Premji: Yes. We are providing legal aid to undertrials. 70% inmates are undertrials in the country. I just thought can we provide them the legal aid to secure them bail. It is for the first time in the country, such programme is being run. Last year the agreement was signed and more than 1,000 people availed the benefits. Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative (APPI) has signed an agreement with the Government which engage young lawyers through the partners of APPI like National Law University in Delhi, Prayaas, an initiative of TISS. The talks are on with the organisations like Varhad of Amravati and, couple of NLUs which also become a part of this programme.

These young lawyers work with District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) and help them to create documentation, do prison visit, understand the history and provide help to file the case in the court. More than 1,000 undertrials have secured bail through this programme. Can you throw light on how you improve the teaching ability of teachers? Azim Premji: We are doing it through that actual coaching in the class attended by, teachers, head teachers, Government teachers. There are reference schools also involved.

Unfortunately this is the most ignored aspect of education and we feel it needs to be well taken care of. Even though you did so much contribution to the welfare of the society, your approach is very humble. You never promoted on your own unlike some people who try to blow their own trumpet. Azim Premji: I don’t know but I don’t have that kind of feeling. In fact, I feel I am not doing enough. It is very difficult to scale it up. We have certainly expanded our endowment so much that we are struggling to scale it up. We are setting up a second university in Bhopal. Third university will be in North East. We are endeavoring.