Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Group, on Friday joined the chorus of India Inc leaders expressing solidarity with NR Narayana Murthy's statement that India needs a labour force where young people are willing to work 70 hours a week in order to facilitate nation-building.
Jindal's statement comes in the wake of the tech titan's comments which drew sharp reactions from India Inc captains. While most batted for it, a few expressed their reservations.
The steel tycoon, Jindal, however, said that he was in consonance with Murthy's thoughts, and he endorsed it wholeheartedly.
"I whole heartedly endorse Mr. Narayana Murthy's statement. It's not about burnout, it’s about dedication. We have to make India an economic superpower that we can all be proud of in India 2047," the businessman said.
"A 5-day week culture is not what a rapidly developing nation of our size needs," a statement issued by the Jindal group read.
He also went on to cite the example of PM Narendra Modi who is known to work round the clock and take few breaks. "PM Narendra Modi ji works over 14-16 hours everyday. My father used to work 12-14 hours, 7 days a week. I work 10-12 hours everyday. We have to find passion in our work and in Nation Building," he said.
"We can't let shorter work weeks elsewhere become our standard! India's greatest strength is our youth. And in our journey to become a superpower, this generation has to prioritize work over leisure. As we progress, there will be opportunities for comfort, and the youth of 2047 will reap the benefits of our sacrifices and diligence," the statement read.
Hours after tech titan Narayana Murthy cited the World War II aftermath of youngsters going out of their way in war-hit Japan and Germany to rebuild their countries and invoked India's millennial lot to take a leaf out of that book, there were strong reactions on social media.
Bhavish Aggarwal was one of the first to bat for Murthy's suggestion. The Ola Cabs co-founder, whose net worth is Rs 11,700 cr, said that he was in sync with the techpreneur's view and it indeed is "our moment to go all in and build in one generation what other countries built over many generations."
Media baron upGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala had a contrarian view and said that enhancing productivity has more to do with quality and not just longer working hours!
"Boosting productivity isn't just about working longer hours. It's about getting better at what you do - Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done. Quality of work done > clocking in more hours," Screwvala wrote. Media baron upGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala had a contrarian view and said that enhancing productivity has more to do with quality and not just longer working hours!
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