"Sunday Also Full Working Day": Manish Tewari On 70-Hour Work Week

Congress leader Manish Tewari today joined the ongoing debate over Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice.

Endorsing Mr Murthy's view, Manish Tewari said that several public representatives like him work 12-15 hours a day.

"I do not understand the brouhaha around @Infosys_nmurthy statement on a 70 hour work week . What is wrong with it ?," he asked on X- formerly known as Twitter.

He said that 70-hour work week with a day off should become the norm.

"If India has to truly become a great power one or even two generations have to make 70 hours a week their work ethic. 70 hours a week with one day off & 15 days of vacations in one year must become the norm," Mr Tewari said.

Mr Murthy last month sparked a huge debate online, pitching for a 70-hour work week. "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. So, therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say 'this is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week," the Infosys founder had said.

Mr Murthy made the remark on a podcast hosted by former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai.  

Giving an example of how other nations have enhanced their productivity, Mr Murthy said, "This is exactly what the Germans and Japanese did after the Second World War...they made sure that every German worked extra hours for a certain number of years."

Earlier, JSW Chairman Sajjan Jindal had also supported Mr Murthy's remarks. "I wholeheartedly 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," Mr Jindal had said.

Agreeing with Narayana Murthy, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal had 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!"