Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday slammed those advocating a ‘90-hour workweek’ for Indian workers and asked whether such advice was meant for humans or robots.
Advocating for work-life balance, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that quality of work is more important than quantity.
“People want to live with their emotions and families. When only a handful of people benefit from economic growth, then whether the economy reaches USD 30 trillion or USD 100 trillion, it makes no difference to the common citizen,” PTI quoted Yadav as saying.
“Entertainment and the film industry contribute billions to the economy. It helps people feel refreshed, revived and re-energized, which ultimately improves work quality,” he added.
The Kannauj MP also asked those suggesting longer working hours to reflect on whether they followed such practices in their youth. “If they truly worked 90 hours a week back then, why has our economy only reached this level?” Yadav asked.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief stressed that a mentally healthy environment is necessary as it fosters creativity and productivity among young people, thus helping to build a better nation. “A sinking boat cannot be saved just by advising people to swim,” he added.
Targeting the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav alleged that corruption levels under the BJP government have reached an “all-time high,” affecting every department and sector. He also claimed that the economy would double if corruption were reduced to at least half.
Former NITI Aayog CEO on working hours
Last week, India’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant said that Indians must work hard to achieve the ambitious target of making India a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047.
He asked Indians to cultivate a stronger work ethic to build a world-class economy, claiming that it helped countries like Japan, South Korea and China to achieve economic success.
“I strongly believe in hard work. Indians must work hard, whether it’s 80 hours or 90 hours a week. If your ambition is to move from a USD 4 trillion to a USD 30 trillion economy, you can’t do it through entertainment or by following the views of some film stars,” Kant said while speaking at Business Standard’s Manthan Summit.
“We have made it fashionable to talk about not working hard. Why? India must work hard to deliver projects ahead of time, with world-class excellence, without time and cost overruns,” Kant added.