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Bijoy Ghosh

Aiming higher: Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd, with Dr Bala Balachandran (centre), Founder and Honorary Dean, Great Lakes Institute of Management, and Mr G.R.K. Reddy, CMD, Marg Constructions Ltd, at the launch of `Centre of Excellence for Infrastructure’ in Chennai on Saturday. —

Our Bureau

Chennai, Dec. 15 Increased focus on low-tech manufacturing and services is required to achieve an inclusive growth in the economy and to pass on the benefits of globalisation and liberalisation to the vast majority of Indians, according to Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

Low-cost manufacturing and services will create huge opportunity for the vast majority of the people who are illiterates or semi-illiterates. And, if these people should enjoy the fruits of globalisation and liberalisation, there should be increased focus on infrastructure, he said while inaugurating a ‘Centre of Excellence for Infrastructure’ established by Marg Constructions and Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM).

Mr Murthy said the country’s economic growth was growing well; the forex reserves are becoming fatter and fatter; the stock markets are performing well and the foreign direct investment is growing fast. However, there is another picture of India that is unsettling the mind. The country has the largest number of illiterates and around 350 million cannot read or write; about 250 million Indians (population closer to the US) do not have access to safe drinking water and around 750 million do not have access to acceptable sanitation facilities. “Not all is lost. We can take care of these problems,” he said.

Mr Murthy said gender diversity was an important issue in the IT sector with a large number of women graduates coming out of universities. “Companies should learn to leverage their [women] strengths.”

At Infosys, out of the 28,000 people joining the company this year, 34 per cent of them are women and the number keeps increasing every year.

Marg Constructions has committed Rs 3 crore for the Centre of Excellence on Infrastructure to be located at GLIM. The centre will study in depth the domain of infrastructure in India and abroad. The insights that arise from the studies will be used to develop business models and solutions for growth and development of infrastructure in India and abroad, according to a press release.

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