Prolonged lockdown will kill many hungry people: NR Narayana Murthy

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has expressed his anti-lockdown views.  The respected industry leader is of the view that prolonged lockdown will lead to hunger deaths, whose number will be higher than the deaths due to Covid-19.  That’s reason enough to lift the lockdown.

“Deaths due to hunger will far outweigh deaths due to coronavirus.  Get able-bodied people to work.  Let the vulnerable be in self-isolation,” he said on Thursday.  

“India’s mortality rate of 0.25-0.5% of total positive cases was very low compared with the developed countries,” he was quoted as saying by Economic Times.

Saying that India sees 9 million natural deaths per year, Murthy added that about a quarter of them die due to pollution.  The 1000 deaths due to Covid-19 so far pales in comparison, he opined.  

“India’s lower mortality rate due to coronavirus could be due to genetic conditions, warm weather or BCG vaccination,” he observed.