Amid a debate over political parties rolling out freebies to win elections, Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy on Wednesday said job creation and not freebies will help eliminate poverty in the country.
Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Mr Murthy said poverty will "vanish" like dew on a sunny morning if entrepreneurs can create innovative enterprises.
"I have no doubt that each of you will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and that is how you solve the problem of poverty. You don't solve the problem of poverty by freebies; no country has succeeded in that," the 78-year-old billionaire businessman said while addressing the entrepreneurs' grouping.
Mr Murthy, who last year triggered a debate after suggesting that youngsters should be prepared to work for 70 hours a week, said he did not know much about politics or governance but gave some recommendations from a policy framework perspective.
He said there need to be incentives or things which are asked in return against the benefits extended.
Citing the example of free electricity of up to 200 units a month, he said the state can do random surveys at the end of six months in such households to check if the children are studying more or if the parents' interest in the child has gone up.
Supreme Court On Freebies
The Supreme Court has also deprecated the practice of political parties promising freebies ahead of elections.
During a hearing last month, the top court also observed that people were not willing to work as they were getting free rations and money.
"Rather than promoting them to be a part of the mainstream of the society by contributing to the development of the nation, are we not creating a class of parasites?" a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih asked.
"Unfortunately, because of these freebies, which just on the anvil of elections are declared, like 'Ladki Bahin' and other schemes, people are not willing to work," the bench added.
Hearing a matter concerning the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas, the court said people got free rations and money without working.
"Would it not be better to make them a part of the mainstream of society and permit them to contribute to the development of the nation?" the bench said.
India, the world's most populous country, reportedly feeds over 80 crore people through monthly cash transfers.
