Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy said he “experienced hunger” for 120 hours non-stop when he was hitchhiking in Europe 50 years ago. Addressing a special event, ‘Achievements in Food Security: India’s Strides Towards Sustainable Development Goals’, hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the Indian billionaire said, “Most of you have not experienced hunger. I have.”
Speaking at the event attended by UN diplomats, officials, academia, civil society organisations and members of the Indian diaspora, the Infosys co-founder recalled his experience. “I experienced hunger for 120 hours non-stop when I was hitchhiking in Europe and at a place called Nish, a border town between Bulgaria and what was then Yugoslavia and today Serbia.”
“Most Indians here and I have received good quality and highly subsidised education from the Indian government. Therefore, as civilised people, we must show gratitude to our nation and help the future generation of these helpless, poor children to get (a) good education,” he added.
Narayana Murthy on Akshaya Patra
Appealing to the leaders of other countries at the UN to emulate the Akshaya Patra model in India, the Infosys former chief said, “Bring joy, health, confidence, hope and success to poor children in their own countries.”
Detailing the work done by the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit trust located in Bengaluru, Murthy said its success lies in bringing a smile to the faces of helpless people. “Akshaya Patra is hugely successful by that count. If our poor children lose hope and faith in our society, they will turn to violence and destroy all the good that India has achieved and is hoping to achieve,” he said.
Murthy emphasised that India has been making good economic progress due to the success of the government’s economic policies, vision and the hard work of Indian entrepreneurs and citizens as well as the foreign direct investment from multinationals. He noted that the Government of India runs the world’s largest food security programme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which benefits over 800 million people.
He further said the school feeding programme, PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme, directly benefits over 118 million children.
“Akshaya Patra is a proud addition and a proud partner of this fantastic initiative of the Government of India,” the Infosys co-founder said. “Poverty is not unique to India. It is there in every society. Akshaya Patra makes the future of India safe by bringing inclusivity to the country’s growth and making the poor people enthusiastic partners in our quest towards prosperity,” the billionaire entrepreneur observed.
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Published: 04 Apr 2024, 03:40 PM IST