The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has received its first ever anonymous donation of a whopping Rs 160 crore. The cheque has reportedly come from an alumnus who wishes to maintain complete privacy.
IIT-B director Subhasis Chaudhuri drew a parallel to temples where people leave generous donations anonymously and said, “It is the first time that we have received an anonymous donation.”
“While this is common in the USA, I don’t think any university in India has received a private gift where the donor wants to remain faceless. Donors know that when they give IIT-B money, it will be used efficiently and for the right purpose,” Chaudhuri was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
According to media reports, the donated funds will go towards setting up a Green Energy and Sustainability Research hub (GESR) on campus. Part of it will be used to build new infrastructure and a lion’s share will be set aside for research.
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The GESR hub will facilitate research in critical areas, including battery technologies, solar photovoltaics, biofuels, clean-air science, flood forecasting and carbon capture, TOI reported.
The generous donation has come at a time when one of the finest institutions in the country is reportedly facing budget cuts and is taking loans from the Higher Education Financial Agency (HEFA) for expansion.