Fact Check: Did Azim Premji Donate Rs 50,000 Cr for Covid-19 pandemic?

Team Udayavani, Mar 28, 2020, 5:32 PM IST

On March 27, several twitter users tweeted about Wipro’s head Azim Premji’s donation of Rs. 50,000 crores for the coronavirus pandemic. However, the claim about Premji’s donation is true but the news is a year old.

The charitable contribution was made in March 2019. Azim Premji had reserved 34 percent of his shares worth Rs 52,750 crore to an endowment under the Azim Premji Foundation.

It is said that he donated the money for charitable causes wholeheartedly that include Wipro shares and other assets owned by him.

Speaking to media, a representative of Azim Premji Foundation said that the news which is currently circulating is from March 2019. The claim about Premji donating Rs 50,000 crores is true but the news is one year old.

However, many people have started donating money to various charities and also to government funds in order to stop the spread of the virus. Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal has pledged Rs 100 crore, while many MPs have pledged their MPLAD funds.