Nothing should be given for free, says software industry icon Narayana Murthy

Bengaluru: Software industry icon N R Narayana Murthy on Wednesday said "nothing should be given free," and suggested people availing services and subsidies provided by the Government should be made to contribute back for the betterment of the society.

The Infosys co-founder also said compassionate capitalism is the only solution for a poor country like India to become a prosperous nation.

"When you provide those services, when you provide those subsidies, there must be something in return that they're willing to do. For example, if you say -- I will give you free electricity, then it would have been a very nice thing for the government to have said, but we want to see the percentage attendance in primary and middle schools go up by 20 per cent, then only we will give you that," Murthy said.

Speaking at Bengaluru Tech Summit 2023, here, the IT industry veteran said: "I am not against free services being provided. I fully understand, as I also came from a poor background. But I think we should expect something in return from those people who received those free subsidies...'' (PTI)