Urgent need is to reduce population growth rate: Narayana Murthy

KOLKATA: For Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, professionalism is a subject close to his heart. So, at the convocation ceremony 2023 of Techno India University in Kolkata, he spoke in detail about the importance of professionalism and how everyone can become a high-quality professional.

“This country has made impressive economic progress during the last three decades. Why a nation fails to meet the expectations of its citizens in economic growth is not due to the paucity of talent or of other resources. It is due to the lack of professionalism of the country’s educated youth. A big impediment to a country’s economic progress is the lack of focus on individual and institutional productivity. A professional uses his discipline, pro-action, innovation and hard work to improve his work and output productivity,” said the tech giant in Kolkata on Thursday.

He also emphasised the importance of reducing the population growth rate.

“Three Indian cities rank among the 10 most polluted cities in the world. The most urgent need is to reduce our population growth rate. While certain parts of India have been making decent progress in reducing their population growth rate, certain other parts have not paid sufficient attention to this important issue. The population issue has the potential to wreak havoc on our country in the next 20 to 25 years,” he said.

Techno India University awarded 4,500 students their undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees, including students who completed their degrees during the Covid-19. From Ratan N Tata, Sourav Ganguly, Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Sushmita Sen, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Dr Apurba Ghosh to Dr Tessy Thomas, the institute bestowed the Doctor of Letters degree to a galaxy of professionals for their contribution to respective fields.

Also present at the convocation ceremony was Techno India University Chancellor Prof Dr Gautam Roychowdhury, Co-Chancellor Manoshi Roychowdhury, HIDCO chairman Debashis Sen and others.

“Our institution has stood the test of time, adapting and evolving with the changing landscape of technology and education. I am confident that the graduates will not only excel in their respective fields but also contribute meaningfully to the global discourse on innovation and progress”, said Prof Dr Goutam Roychowdhury.