Students' moral responsibility to address problems of poor: Pitroda

With millions of Indians living below poverty line, Sam Pitroda, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Friday said it was the moral responsibility of the students to look into the problems of the poor.

"I know your goal in life is to make lots of money which is good. But, at some point in life you've got to make a decision that enough is enough and it is time to give back," said Pitroda during an event at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

"In India, those who are capable of giving back want to take more and those who want to give back do not have much to give," he said.

Emphasising on the need for inclusive growth, Pitroda said the country needs social innovations rather than corporate innovations taught by business schools.

"For India to innovate, we must focus on inclusive growth at the bottom of the pyramid. The innovation that is taught in business school is about corporate innovation... the country needs social innovations," he said.

Observing that disparities can be bridged through innovation and technology, Pitroda said it was the "moral responsibility" of the students not to take jobs but create jobs.

Calling for an "overhaul of the entire education system", Pitroda urged teachers to be mentors rather than only preparing and delivering contents to the students.