Corporate leaders must set example of probity: Narayana Murthy

ALLAHABAD: Infosys Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy today said that corporate leaders must set an example of probity in public life.

"I can understand when in a poor country like India, concerns are voiced over CEOs getting fat pay packages," Murthy said.

However, such problems could not be solved through state intervention. "Rather the impetus for becoming more socially responsive should come from within," he said, addressing a function organised at the Anand Bhawan on the occasion of Jawaharlal Nehru's 120th birth anniversary.

"I am sure that our corporate leaders are not completely oblivious of their social responsibilities," Murthy said, adding "conscientious corporate leaders, together with honest political leadership and an efficient bureaucracy can really make a huge impact."

An IIT alumni himself, Murthy, disapproved introducing higher cut-off marks for admission to the prestigious institutes of technology.

"Our focus should be on providing better facilities to the less privileged sections of the society and making them more competitive. A more restricted admission system need not necessarily give better results," he said.

Murthy said he is optimistic about the Indian economy in general and the IT sector in particular which "has transformed every walk of human life and in the national context opened unforeseen avenues of employment."

Murthy also said the country needs a good public delivery system that caters to the poor.