Dibrugarh (Assam): Defence Minister George Fernandes on October 11 said China was far ahead of India in economic growth because of better work culture in that country.

Fernandes said China had only 61 holidays in a year and the country was ''much ahead of us in economic growth only due to its work culture''.

''During my last visit to China, I asked their Prime Minister about the problems faced by that country and he replied that there are four crore unemployed youths, regional imbalances in industrial growth and peasants are getting poorer but their economic growth is moving up due to collective labour," Fernandes told a National Cadets Corps (NCC) camp.

''Our country is also faced with similar problems but due to our lack of discipline, poor work culture and corruption, the nation is ailing in all sectors,'' he said.

He said if China could do it then India should also strive to become the world's leading country by 2017.

Referring to the North East, the Minister admitted that the region had been deprived and neglected since Independence.

''No one can deny North East India has been deprived and neglected for years since Independence despite her rich cultural and natural resources,'' he said.

The Minister also paid tributes to the martyrs of Kargil War, several of whom were from the North East.

PTI