Education, healthcare, skill development—How Gautam Adani is steering social transformation through a slew of initiatives

The wedding of Jeet Adani, billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani’s youngest son, was a departure from the usual extravaganza associated with high-profile celebrations. It was instead marked by his Rs 10,000 crore donation pledge, intended to be used for infrastructure-building initiatives across areas like healthcare, skill development, and education.

Ranked fifth on the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024, the Adani Group founder and chair donated Rs 330 crore to improving access to education, particularly for disadvantaged communities and remote villages. This marks a 16% increase in the company’s charitable donations, which are directed through the Adani Foundation, compared to the previous year.

Adani’s philanthropic efforts have also been recognised with accolades and awards, including the Indian Chamber of Commerce Social Impact Awards for contribution to education and Doing Good for Bharat Awards 2024 in the 'Philanthropy for Impact' category.

Democratising healthcare

Adani announced the launch of Adani Health City (AHC), in consultation with the US-based Mayo Clinic, to make world-class healthcare accessible and affordable for all. The first two AHC campuses, to be established in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, will feature 1,000-bed multispecialty hospitals, medical colleges, and research facilities.

Mayo Clinic will advise on organisational objectives and clinical practices at these establishments. It will also offer expert guidance on the integration of technology, with a focus on digital and information technology and healthcare quality enhancement.

AHC aims to serve people from all socio-economic backgrounds, train the next generation of doctors and focus on clinical research, artificial intelligence and biomedical informatics.

“The development of Adani Health City … will go a long way towards providing affordable, world-class healthcare to people from every section of Indian society,” Adani said. “I am confident that our partnership with Mayo Clinic, the world’s largest integrated not-for-profit medical group practice, will help elevate healthcare standards in India, with a special emphasis on complex disease care and medical innovation,” he added.

Quality education at affordable cost

To provide high quality education to students at affordable costs, the Adani Foundation has tied up with GEMS Education, which is into private K-12 education, to establish schools across the country. The initiative will take off with an initial donation of Rs 2,000 crore from the Adani family.

The first ‘Adani GEMS School of Excellence’ will come up in Lucknow in the academic year 2025-26. Over the next three years, at least 20 such schools in the K-12 segment will be rolled out across India’s primary metropolitan cities and, subsequently, also in Tier II to IV cities, Adani Foundation said in a statement.

In these schools, 30% seats in CBSE curriculum will be free for under-served and deserving children. Leveraging the Adani Group’s pan-Indian presence and extensive infrastructure capabilities and also GEMS’ educational expertise, the partnership plans to develop a scalable, affordable, and sustainable model for quality education for students across India.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to making world-class education affordable and widely accessible,” Adani said. “By adopting global best practices and innovative digital learning through our partnership with GEMS Education, we aim to equip the next generation of change-makers to become socially responsible leaders in India,” he said.

Addressing India’s skill gap crisis

WEF's 'The Future of Jobs Report 2025' predicts automation will displace 83 million jobs globally by next year, while creating 70 million new ones. However, most Indian workers lack the specialised training needed for roles in ML and robotic process automation.

To prepare an industry-ready workforce, the Adani Group has partnered with ITE Education Services (ITEES) of Singapore for serving the evolving needs of industries, such as green energy, manufacturing, hi-tech, and industrial design.

The family will donate over Rs 2,000 crore for establishing these technical schools, called Adani Global Skills Academy, the first of which will be set up in Mundra, Gujarat. Students will be selected from technical and vocational education backgrounds aligned to their industry and role aspirations.

The academy will provide innovation centers and AI-based simulators combined with mixed reality-based learning, within a fully residential facility for students and faculty.

Conclusion

Businesses can—and should—move beyond the pursuit of profits.

Corporate giving has grown significantly over the past few years. This is evident from the steady growth rate of the social sector funding (13%) over the last five years, to approximately Rs 25 lakh crore ($300 billion) in FY 2024, according to the India Philanthropy Report 2025 from venture philanthropy firm Dasra and management consultancy Bain & Co.

And Adani’s donation towards various causes is deeply embedded in the group’s philosophy of ‘seva over self’. What remains to be seen is how he can shape a more inclusive and equitable future for India, defined by innovation, compassion, and shared prosperity.