Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has disapproved of suggestions for a 90-hour work week in the country. 

In an interactive session organized by the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tharoor said improving efficiency and quality of the work is more important than hiking working hours. It may be recalled that Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and many others have recently called for a sharp increase in working hours in the country. He pointed out that in countries like Denmark, work time is 35 hours a week.           

Earlier, delivering ‘The India Forward Talk Series’ organized by the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday Tharoor said India needed to make rapid progress to emerge as the global manufacturing hub and to resolve jobless growth.   

“We have the talent, the vision, and the capacity to become the world’s manufacturing hub, especially as global supply chains increasingly look for alternatives to China in a ‘China+1’ strategy. However, despite this immense potential, the growth of manufacturing in India has been stifled by systemic challenges that hold us back from fully seizing this opportunity”, he said.

Countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia are making every effort to become key players in the China+1 strategy. Out-dated labour laws, bureaucratic hurdles, lack of quality infrastructure, and poor skill development are some of the issues that need to be addressed to overcome the deficiencies facing the country, he said.      

While the Modi government has presided over economic growth, its record on job creation reveals a disquieting paradox: a growing economy that has struggled to produce sufficient opportunities for its labour force, he said.

Tharoor also praised Kerala for its strides in economic development. The State stands out as a model of economic innovation and sustainable growth. Kerala, with its strong historical foundation and strategic economic initiatives, has emerged as a dynamic centre for startups, driving significant contributions to India’s broader economic transformation.

In 2023 startups in Kerala raised $33.2 million, marking a 15 per cent increase from the previous year, with seed-stage funding up by 40 per cent. The Kerala Startup Mission has been at the forefront of this expansion, working to establish Kerala as a global hub for Deep Tech innovation. A testament to this vision is the $180 million emerging technology hub being developed at Technocity, Thiruvananthapuram, he added.