‘PM Modi works 14-16 hrs daily’: Industrialist Sajjan Jindal backs Narayan Murthy’s ‘70-hour work week’ advice
Industrialist Sajjan Jindal on Friday backed Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s statement that youngsters in India must work for at least 70 hours a week.
The JSW Group chairperson said that he wholeheartedly endorsed Murthy’s statement, adding that a five-day week culture is not what a rapidly developing country like India needs.
“Our 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,” Jindal wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We have to find passion in our work and in nation building.”
Further, Jindal pointed out that India’s circumstances and challenges are unique from those in the developed nations.
“They (developed nations) are working 4 or 5 days a week because their earlier generations clocked longer and more productive hours. We can’t let shorter work weeks elsewhere become our standard!” he pointed out.
Emphasising that India’s greatest strength is its youth, Jindal said that the younger generation has to prioritise work over leisure in the country’s journey to become a superpower.
“As we progress, there will be opportunities for comfort, and the youth of 2047 will reap the benefits of our sacrifices and diligence,” the JSW Group chairperson wrote.
He also added: “It’s not about burnout, it’s about dedication. We have to make India an economic superpower that we can all be proud of.”
Murthy’s remarks
Earlier, in a conversation with Infosys former CFO Mohandas Pai, Murthy said that India needs to boost work productivity if it wishes to compete with the fastest-growing countries like China and Japan.
Murthy made the remarks while appearing on the first episode of 3one4 Capital’s podcast ‘The Record’.
“After the Second World War, the people of Germany and Japan worked for extra hours for the sake of their country. The youngsters in India also own the country and work hard for the sake of our economy,” Murthy noted.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal agreed with Murthy, saying it is not “our moment to work less and entertain ourselves”.
In a social media post on X, Aggawal said, “Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!”
However, many on social media were not entirely in agreement with the tech billionaire, with film producer Ronnie Screwvala noting that “boosting productivity isn’t just about working longer hours.”