Quality of work is more important than quantity: Akhilesh Yadav slams '90-hour workweek' suggestion

Lucknow, Mar 3 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday rubbished suggestions advocating a '90-hour workweek' and asked whether such advice was meant for humans or robots.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said 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," said Yadav.

"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.

Yadav said those pushing for a 90-hour workweek should first 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?" he asked.

Emphasizing the importance of work-life balance, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said that a mentally healthy environment fosters creativity and productivity among young people, which in turn helps build a better nation.

"A sinking boat cannot be saved just by advising people to swim," he added.

Yadav also used the occasion to target Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led government and alleged that corruption under the present regime is at an all-time high, affecting every sector and department.

He claimed that if even half of the corruption was eliminated, the economy would double on its own.

"The BJP government has taken corruption to levels never seen before in the state," said Yadav.

India's G20 Sherpa and former CEO of Niti Aayog Amitabh Kant had last week joined the ongoing debate over work hours.

The Indians must work hard to achieve the ambitious target of making India a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047, Kant said.

He said Japan, South Korea and China have achieved economic success through a strong work ethic and suggested that India must cultivate a similar mindset to build a world-class economy.

"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," he added. PTI KIS AS AS

Source: PTI