 "Nilekani is worth Rs 7,700 crore")
Nandan Nilekani, the former chief of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and Congress candidate from Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, declared that his wife and he have assets worth Rs 7,700 crore. He is slated to file his nomination for the general elections on Friday.
The co-founder of Infosys, Nilekani is pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar, who has won the seat five times. Nilekani is a resident of the constituency. Disclosing the details, Nandan and his wife Rohini said, “Most of our wealth — almost 80 per cent — remains in Infosys shares.”
Narayana Murthy, along with Nilekani, N S Raghavan, S Gopalakrishnan, S D Shibulal, K Dinesh and Ashok Arora, started Infosys in July 1981 and the company crossed $7 billion in revenue in 2013. Nilekani still owns 1.45 per cent of the firm, while his wife owns 1.3 per cent.
“My wealth is completely transparent. I haven’t made any of my money illegally, or hidden it in investments outside the country. Nothing is hidden in someone else’s bank account. It is all transparent, and tax-paid,” he added.
Since 1999, Rohini and Nandan have donated almost Rs 400 crore of their wealth to various causes and charities. “I have worked in the social sector for more than 15 years now,” said Rohini. The couple focus on areas such as drinking water, governance and education in their philanthropy. Arghyam, which means “offering” in Sanskrit, is an organisation set up by Rohini for undertaking social causes. The foundation has made grants in 22 states of India, supporting ideas, individuals and institutions working towards the cause of improving access to water.
The co-founder of Infosys, Nilekani is pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar, who has won the seat five times. Nilekani is a resident of the constituency. Disclosing the details, Nandan and his wife Rohini said, “Most of our wealth — almost 80 per cent — remains in Infosys shares.”
Narayana Murthy, along with Nilekani, N S Raghavan, S Gopalakrishnan, S D Shibulal, K Dinesh and Ashok Arora, started Infosys in July 1981 and the company crossed $7 billion in revenue in 2013. Nilekani still owns 1.45 per cent of the firm, while his wife owns 1.3 per cent.
More From This Section
Nilekani attributed his wealth to the success of the company. “I started out with Rs 200 in my pocket, when I graduated from IIT... We founded Infosys with Rs 10,000,” said Nilekani.
“My wealth is completely transparent. I haven’t made any of my money illegally, or hidden it in investments outside the country. Nothing is hidden in someone else’s bank account. It is all transparent, and tax-paid,” he added.
Since 1999, Rohini and Nandan have donated almost Rs 400 crore of their wealth to various causes and charities. “I have worked in the social sector for more than 15 years now,” said Rohini. The couple focus on areas such as drinking water, governance and education in their philanthropy. Arghyam, which means “offering” in Sanskrit, is an organisation set up by Rohini for undertaking social causes. The foundation has made grants in 22 states of India, supporting ideas, individuals and institutions working towards the cause of improving access to water.