Dividend payout to shareholders for financial year 2010-11 has hit a new high at Rs 88,379 crore (Rs 883.79 billion).
Equity dividends paid out this year have increased by 14.9 per cent, a slower pace compared to the 17.5 per cent rise in net profit for the 1,099 dividend paying companies under review.
Moreover, the dividend payout as a percentage of net profit has remained more or less unchanged at 25.55 per cent.
The big beneficiaries of this generosity were the promoters themselves.
Indian promoters in the private sector received Rs 17,361 crore (Rs 173.61 billion) in 2011, marginally higher than in the previous year.
Three promoters got more than Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) each.
Mukesh Ambani, who holds 41.96 per cent in Reliance Industries through his family and privately-held companies, got Rs 1,095 crore (Rs 10.95 billion) equity dividend.
Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his family, who hold 52.21 per cent in the country's largest motorcycle company, Hero Honda, became richer by 1,095 crore (Rs 10.95 billion).
Azim Premji, who holds 79.28 per cent in Wipro through a family trust, received Rs 1,168 crore (Rs 11.68 billion).
Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran got Rs 266 crore (Rs 2.66 billion) on account of his 77 per cent stake in the company.
Among Infosys Technologies' promoters, Narayana Murthy and his family got Rs 154 crore (Rs 1.54 billion), Nandan Nilekani and family Rs 118 crore (Rs 1.18 billion), S Gopalakrishnan and family Rs 117 crore (Rs 1.17 billion), S D Shibulal Rs 61 crore (Rs 610 million) and K Dinesh and family Rs 86 crore (Rs 860 million).
Investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala got Rs 38 crore (Rs 380 million) from 16
Budget 2011: What these 10 experts want
Salaries unlimited! India's top earning CEOs
V.I.P, Samsonite to foray into handbags for women
India Inc raises over $2 bn abroad in April
America Inc for bilateral trade treaty with India