Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy says young people in his country have to work 70 hours a week because of India’s low productivity, CNN and Business Insider reported.
“I ask that our youth say: “This is my country. I want to work 70 hours a week,” said Murthy, founder of information technology giant Infosys.
He made these comments during an interview with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai. Murthy.
Bloomberg estimates the net worth of Murthy, who co-founded Ifosys in 1981, at $4.3 billion.
The 77-year-old billionaire said in an interview that India has one of the lowest productivity levels in the world and that the youth have a responsibility to change the work culture.
“Our culture needs to change to one of highly motivated, highly disciplined and extremely hardworking people,” Murthy said.
He also said the time has come to “consolidate and accelerate” India’s economic progress as it begins to gain global recognition for its rapid growth.
Indians already work an average of almost 50 hours a week
Murthy, who is the father-in-law of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, pointed to the example of China, saying young Indians should learn from the examples that have helped grow the economy of Xi Jinping’s country, as well as other emerging markets.
“Somehow, our youth have a habit of adopting not-so-desirable habits from the West, and then not helping the country,” lamented the Indian billionaire.
Data from the International Labor Organization (ILO) show that about 66% of India’s population is under the age of 35. Earlier this year, India overtook China in terms of population to become the most populous country in the world.
But Business Insider notes that despite Murthy’s comments, Indians already have one of the longest work weeks in the world, with an average of 47.7 hours per worker.
According to the ILO, only 6 countries are ahead of India in this section: Qatar, Congo, Lesotho, Bhutan, Gambia and the United Arab Emirates.
But Murthy said Indian business leaders should motivate young people to work “very hard”, telling them the country on the Indian subcontinent “has gained some level of respect (around the world)” for the first time in its history.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that India’s economy will grow by 6.3 percent this year.
Source: Hot News
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