Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy has once again reiterated his call for a 70-hour workweek. In 2023, Murthy suggested that young professionals in India should be willing to work 70 hours a week to ensure the country’s competitive edge on the global stage. The comments drew widespread criticism on social media but the industrialist seems to be in no mood of backing down.
Murthy, during his recent visit to Kolkata, said that the younger generation needs to realise that they have to “work hard and work towards making India number one.”
Speaking at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event, Murthy said, “At Infosys, I said we will go to the best and compare ourselves with the best global companies. Once we compare ourselves with the best global companies, I can tell you we Indians have a lot to do.”
He was talking to RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka as he made the comments.
“We have to set our aspirations high because 800 million Indians get free ration. That means 800 million Indians are in poverty. If we are not in a position to work hard, then who will work hard?” Murthy asked.
The industry veteran recalled his experiences that inspired him to become an entrepreneur and shift his ideology from being a leftist at a time when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister.
“My father used to talk about the extraordinary progress that was happening in the country at the time and we were all sold on Nehru and socialism,” he said.
However, Murty said he was ‘confused’ about the Western world’s view of India.
“I had the opportunity to work in Paris in the early 70s and I was confused. The West was talking about how filthy and corrupt India was. In my country there was poverty and the roads had potholes. There (West), everyone was reasonably prosperous and trains ran on time and I thought this can’t be wrong,” he said.
Murty recalled that he met the leader of the French Communist Party who answered all his questions, “but not to my satisfaction.”
“I realised the only way a country can fight poverty is by creating jobs that lead to disposable incomes,” he said.
“The government has absolutely no role in entrepreneurship. I also realised entrepreneurs build a nation as they create jobs, they create wealth for their investors and pay taxes,” Murthy opined.
The Infosys co-founder added that if a country embraces capitalism, it will be good for the infrastructure. “In a poor country like India where capitalism had not taken root, I realised if I had to come back and experiment in entrepreneurship, then we have to embrace compassionate capitalism,” he said.
. Read more on Trending by NDTV Profit.The Infosys co-founder was talking to RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka when he defended the 70-hour-a-week comment that he made first in 2023. Read MoreTrending, Nation, Business, Notifications
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