‘What's wrong with it?’: Congress’ Manish Tewari says 70-hr work week, 15 vacation days a year must become norm

Congress MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Manish Tewari, said that he does not understand the brouhaha around the 70-hour work week. “What is wrong with it,”  he asked on social media, tagging Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. Murthy had said last month that India’s youth should work 70 hours a week for the nation to catch up with economies that saw exponential growth in the past few decades. 

Tewari said that public representatives work 12-15 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are no Sundays off, he said, adding that he does not remember the last time he took Sunday off. 

“If India has to truly become a great power one or even two generations have to make 70 hours a week their work ethic,” said Tewari adding that 70 hours a week and 15 vacations should become a norm. 

Tewari is one of the many personalities to have supported Narayana Murthy’s pitch for 70-hour work weeks. Recently L&T Chairman Emeritus AM Naik said that he worked 15 hours a day and slept in the office too when he was building the engineering giant in the span of five decades. He said after such long hours, he would go home and think some more about the company. 

Actor and businessman Suniel Shetty also said that it is important to move out of one’s comfort zone. JSW Steel MD Sajjan Jindal too emphasised on the importance of long working hours, stating that a 5-day week is not what a developing country like India needs. “"It's not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves,” said Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, who was one of the first voices in support of Murthy’s 70-hour work week pitch. 

However, India is already one of the world’s most hardworking countries, with an average of 47.7 hours per week per employed person, according to International Labour Organisation. Compared to the 10 biggest economies, Indians have the longest average work week. 

Only Qatar, Congo, Lesotho, Bhutan, Gambia, and the United Arab Emirates average more than India. 

India, on the other hand, has the lowest per capita GDP among the top 10 biggest countries. In comparison, France that has the shortest work week has the highest per capita GDP (30.1 hour/ $55,493) among the 10 biggest economies. 

Also read: 'India's youth should work 70 hours a week': Narayana Murthy's remark on productivity leaves internet divided

Also read: 'Worked 15 hrs a day,' says L&T chairman emeritus AM Naik amid debate over Murthy's '70 hours a week' remark

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