Prayagraj (UP) | Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy on Sunday called rising population a major challenge for the country, saying Indians had not paid attention to population control since the Emergency period.

Murthy made the remark during the convocation ceremony of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology in Prayagraj, where he was the chief guest.

"India faces significant challenges related to population, per capita land availability, and healthcare facilities," he said.

"Since the Emergency period, we Indians have not paid enough attention to population control. This poses a risk of making our country unsustainable. In comparison, countries such as the US, Brazil and China have far higher per capita land availability," he said.

Murthy also emphasised that a true professional's responsibility was to contribute to the nation's progress.

"This contribution depends on having high aspirations, dreaming big and working hard to turn those dreams into reality," the Infosys co-founder said.

"One generation must make many sacrifices to improve the lives of the next. My parents, siblings and teachers made significant sacrifices for my progress and my presence here as the chief guest is proof that their sacrifices were not in vain," he said.

During the ceremony, 1,670 degrees were awarded. Postgraduate students received 34 gold medals while undergraduates received 13.