Pay politicians corporate salaries to weed out corruption: Narayana Murthy

Stating that the government alone cannot be held responsible to make the country tick, he said people have to work hard and contribute their bit.

PANAJI: Politicians should be paid salaries equivalent to top executives of the corporate world, said Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, while discussing ways to make the Indian government corruption-free. 

Speaking at the inaugural lecture of the DD Kosambi festival of ideas at Panaji on Tuesday, Murthy said, "By not paying them the salaries and incentives they deserve for the hard work expected of them, we are unwittingly pushing them to do things they shouldn't be doing." 

When a politician tries to make an honest living, he or she is not given enough assistance for the job they are doing. "A politician's job involves hard work, lot of travel and they should get compensated adequately. Currently what they are officially paid is no where enough to cover the costs for doing their duty." He cited an example of a techie who left his high paying job inSilicon Valley to become an MP in India and now is struggling to do his normal work as a politician. 

Stating that the government alone cannot be held responsible to make the country tick, he said people have to work hard and contribute their bit. "We also need a workforce that is hard-working and has pride in the nation. Compared to other Asian countries, India's young professionals have the shortest working hours and the lowest levels of discipline. Rather than emulate the hardworking workers in China and Japan, they would rather adapt western ways, and whine about working for eight hours," he remarked. 

Murthy stressed that the only path to progress is for a nation to create enough jobs to keep unemployment among the working population low-2 to 3 per cent, like in developed countries. "This does not mean it is the government's responsibility to create jobs, but the government must act as a catalyst to bring in more businesses and encourage entrepreneurs and most importantly, foreign direct investment," he said. 

source - TOI