IIT Kanpur alumnus and IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal has announced a donation of Rs 300 crore to the institute. This takes his total personal contribution to Rs 400 crore.
Rakesh Gangwal: IIT Kanpur alumnus and Indian-American businessman Rakesh Gangwal has announced a donation of Rs 300 crore to further the medical education and healthcare vision of the institute. Earlier in 2022, he had contributed Rs 100 crore. His total personal donation has reached Rs 400 crore, which is expected to give impetus to the medical school project.
Medical school and hospital to be built in IIT Kanpur
Along with engineering and technology, IIT Kanpur is now preparing to expand in the field of medical education and health services also. There are plans to develop a 500-bed super-specialty hospital and a 200-bed Cancer Care and Research Center on the institute's campus.
IIT Kanpur alumnus Rakesh Gangwal has announced to donate Rs 300 crore for this ambitious project. This contribution can play an important role in furthering the efforts of the institute to develop its medical school.
IIT Kanpur aims to develop new possibilities in the field of research and healthcare by bringing together engineering, science, technology and medicine.
Have already given Rs 100 crore
Rakesh Gangwal's association with the medical project of IIT Kanpur is not new. In the year 2022, he donated Rs 100 crore to the institute. Now after the fresh contribution of Rs 300 crore, his total personal donation in five years has reached Rs 400 crore.
Gangwal described his cooperation in this initiative as an honor and privilege. He expressed his happiness to be associated with a medical institute which is working towards innovation and bringing together different fields.
Director of IIT Kanpur, Prof. Manindra Aggarwal expressed his gratitude to Rakesh Gangwal for his continuous support. He said that Rs 100 crore received in 2022 had helped in starting this initiative and now the additional contribution of Rs 300 crore will help in realizing the dream of the medical school soon.
Who is Rakesh Gangwal?
Rakesh Gangwal hails from Kolkata and is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. He did B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1975. After this, he studied MBA from Wharton School of Pennsylvania University, America.
He started his career in the corporate and aviation sectors. In the year 1984, he joined United Airlines. He later also served as CEO and Chairman of US Airways Group.
Before US Airways, he held the responsibility of Executive Vice President at Air France. Prior to this, he worked as a Financial Analyst in the Product Development Group of Ford Motor Company and as a Production and Planning Engineer in Philips India.
Gangwal is the co-founder of IndiGo.
Rakesh Gangwal is also a prominent name in the Indian aviation sector as the co-founder of IndiGo. He started IndiGo in 2006 along with Rahul Bhatia. The airline later became one of the major aviation companies of India.
Gangwal has also served on the advisory boards of several companies and universities and schools. For his contribution, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award of IIT Kanpur in the year 2000.
The new contribution of Rs 300 crore given to IIT Kanpur is considered important in taking forward the medical education, hospital and research related projects of the institute.