India needs leadership institutes for politicians: Narayana Murthy

In order to improve public governance, India must create institutions that can train the political class in economics and technology, said Infosys Chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy.

“India needs leadership institutes for politicians. We need to ensure that adequate training is provided to politicians in the areas of macro economics, rudimentary micro economics, international trade and on the role of technology in improving public governance,” he said.

Murthy, who was in Mumbai on Wednesday to deliver a lecture to students of the Vivekanand Education Society, mentioned one such institution in Pune without naming it.

“This college brings together several politicians every year and gives them the opportunity to listen to leaders who have accomplished a lot in their chosen fields. We need more such initiatives,” he added.

The 67-year old exhorted youngsters to make their opinion heard on these subjects.

“You need to speak about it on television. Once people like you take this up, there will be critical mass and politicians will have to listen,” he said, pointing towards the cheering crowd of students from different age groups.

After eight unsuccessful attempts over the last five decades, India on Wednesday took the historic step of enacting the Lokpal Bill. Murthy said that the lion’s share of the credit should go to the youth for rallying behind anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.

Murthy believes that students should be politically groomed from a young age. Responding to a student’s question on the concept of ‘college politicians’, Murthy said: “It’s a brilliant idea. I have spoken about it many times and have discussed the same with the UN Secretary General and several others.”

The youngsters of today have the potential to be more successful than previous generations, he said.

“You should aspire to be more successful than me. In the 1980s, we had fewer opportunities than what you have today,” Murthy said, responding to a student who wanted to know how he could become the next Narayana Murthy.

Infosys was established in 1981 by Murthy and six other engineers with just $250. Today, it is the country’s third largest software exporter, with a market cap of over $30 billion, after Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant Technology Solutions.

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