Mumbai: Instead of offering freebies to eradicate poverty, India should focus on creating more job opportunities, said Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy. Speaking at an industry gathering in Mumbai on Thursday, he stated that if entrepreneurs are empowered to establish innovative businesses, poverty would disappear like morning mist.

"I have no doubt that each of you will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and that is how you solve the problem of poverty, you don't solve the problem of poverty by freebies, no country has succeeded in that," he remarked. 

Political parties, he pointed out, often distribute freebies to gain electoral success—an approach he firmly opposed.

Murthy further stated that nothing comes free and that those receiving benefits may eventually be expected to return the favour. 

Ahead of the upcoming elections, the Supreme Court had also criticised political parties for luring voters with promises of freebies. The court observed that access to free ration and cash handouts was discouraging people from taking up jobs, leading to widespread indolence.

"By not making these people part of mainstream society, are we not creating a class of parasites? Because of freebies, when elections are declared… people are not willing to work. They are getting free rations without doing any work! Would it not be better to make them part of mainstream society so that they can contribute to nation?" Justice Gavai had remarked.