Tata Trusts chairman says India spends 'atrocious' amount on overseas education due to lack of quality institutions; plans 40-50 not-for-profit hospitals.
India needs significantly more high-quality educational institutions to meet growing demand and reduce students’ reliance on overseas universities, Noel Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts, said Sunday at the IIM Bangalore Alumni Association’s leadership conclave, IIMBue 2026.
“The country needs a wake-up call on education. We spend an atrocious amount of money every year on sending kids to the US and Europe because there aren’t enough quality institutions here,” Tata said during a fireside chat with Sonjoy Chatterjee, Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs India.
Tata described the proposed undergraduate institution being developed in partnership with IIM Bangalore as a starting point. “There is no reason why India cannot provide enough institutions so that everybody who wants to get an education can find an institution which they believe adds value to their children’s lives,” he said.
Beyond education, Tata outlined a renewed focus on institution-building in healthcare. The Trusts plan to expand affordable care by developing 40–50 not-for-profit general hospitals across India, following a partnership with the Assam government to establish 17 cancer care hospitals in the state.
The hospitals will operate on a cross-subsidy model. Premium-paying patients will help finance treatment for economically weaker sections without compromising the quality of doctors, medicines or medical facilities, Tata said. “The idea is to have a few rooms that are a certain percentage of our for-profit rooms, which can subsidise the rest of the patients so that we can offer the same service, surgeon, operation theatre, and medicine. We’ve identified three locations to start that,” he added.
Tata also said the Trusts are shifting how they measure philanthropic impact, focusing on measurable outcomes rather than simply counting beneficiaries. The guiding philosophy, he said, remains unchanged from the founders: “spend money and do what is good for India.”
Reflecting on his own corporate journey, Tata cited Trent, the retail venture that emerged after the Tata Group exited the Lakme cosmetics business in the late 1990s. “My philosophy has always been to be the best in everything you do. If you become the best, size follows. Trying to become the biggest without first becoming the best can end in disaster,” he said.
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