Gorakhpur, August 23: Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy urged the Modi government not to go after populist policies, adding that aJingoism friendly atmosphere must be formed for entrepreneurship to create jobs. Addressing the fourth convocation function of the Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT) at Gorakhpur on Thursday, Narayana Murthy said the government must shun jingoism and adopt expertise-based economic policies.

"Our governments have to become more citizen-friendly and remove all obstacles to entrepreneurs to create larger and larger number of jobs. Our economic policies have to be less populist and more based on expertise. We have to shun jingoism." Murthy advised the government. Explaining the true meaning of patriotism, he said it is about working for the country, putting its interests ahead of one's personal interests. Niti Aayog Chief Rings Warning Bell: 'Government Should Take Steps to Deal With Unprecedented Stress in Financial Sector That is Resulting in Slowdown'.

"It is easy to drape ourselves in our national flag and shout 'Mera Bharat Mahaan' and 'Jai Ho', but it is difficult to practice the values. Patriotism means what will bring the best out of every citizen," Murthy said. "We have to put the interest of our nation ahead of our personal interests, avoiding our egos and biases," he added. He also spoke of a "parallel India", "steeped into poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and malnutrition" and co-existing with a developed one. Indian Economic Crisis: From Parle to Maruti, Iconic Indian Companies Hit By Slowdown And Dwindling Sales Stare at Job Cuts.

"We have another India steeped in deep poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and malnutrition. We have the largest mass of illiterates in the world. About 350 million Indians cannot read or write. More than 200 million Indians do not have access to safe drinking water. About 750 million Indians do not have access to sanitation facilities. We have consistently been among the lowly-ranked nations in the HDI (Human Development Index)," rued Murthy.

Describing the present state of the economy, Narayana Murthy said, "Our economy is growing at 6 to 7 per cent this year. India has become the software development centre of the world. Our foreign exchange reserve has crossed 400 billion dollars. Investor confidence is at a historic high."

Sounding optimistic of the country's bright future, Murthy said, "Portfolio investments from abroad and foreign direct investment into India are growing faster than ever. Our entrepreneurs are receiving huge funding from venture capitalists. Our stock exchanges are doing pretty well. According to Forbes magazine, the number of billionaires in India is increasing." (With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2019 10:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).