Indians must work hard, whether it's 80 or 90 hours a week: Amitabh Kant

India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant shares his insights on the 90-hour work week vs work-life balance debate at BS Manthan

India’s path to becoming a $30 trillion economy demands relentless hard work, not an obsession with work-life balance, India’s G20 Sherpa and former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said at the BS Manthan summit on Thursday. 

 

Speaking on the necessity of diligence, Kant dismissed the notion that work-life balance should overshadow India’s need for rapid economic expansion. “I strongly believe in hard work. Indians must work hard, whether it's 80 hours or 90 hours a week. If your ambition is to move from a $4 trillion to a $30 trillion economy, you can’t do it through entertainment or by following the views of some film stars,” he stated.

 

Kant referenced countries like Japan, Korea, and Canada, which he credited with achieving economic success through a strong work ethic. He emphasised that India must cultivate a similar mindset to build a world-class economy.  

 

“We have made it fashionable to talk about not working hard. Why? India must work hard to deliver projects ahead of time, with world-class excellence, without time and cost overruns,” he said.

 

'Plenty of time to manage work-life balance'

Speaking about work-life balance, Kant argued that there is enough time for personal well-being within a disciplined work schedule. 

 

“I work every day, I exercise, I play golf, and I still manage to work hard. Keep aside one-and-a-half-hour for yourself, and you still have 22.5 hours in a day. There’s plenty of time to manage work-life balance, but don’t make it fashionable to say people shouldn’t work hard," Kant said.

 

"We are sending the wrong message to India’s youth,” he warned.

 

'India's GDP needs to expand 9x'

Highlighting the scale of India’s economic challenge, Kant pointed out that for India to grow from a $4 trillion to a $30 trillion economy, GDP must expand nine times, and manufacturing must increase 16-fold. He stressed that this transformation requires mass participation, particularly from the 50 per cent of the population that is currently not actively contributing to the economy.

 

“The government is striving to make the entire population active participants in economic growth. If 100 per cent of our people become part of this mission, India will grow at 9-10 per cent annually for the next three decades,” he asserted.

 

AI and emerging tech

On the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, Kant remained optimistic. He dismissed fears of job losses, stating that throughout history, technological advancements have always created new jobs. 

 

“Every advent of technology has led to the creation of more jobs, but of a different kind. What India needs is to train its workforce for the future, ensuring they benefit from AI-driven job creation,” he said.