Bangalore, May 18 (PTI) : Infosys Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy has said the company has given away Rs 50,000 crore (at current stock prices) of stock options to its employees since inception.

Writing in an article titled "Goodbye, folks. March on with values...", in the NASDAQ-listed firm's 2010-11 annual report, Murthy said, "I do not know of any Indian company that has given away as much as Rs 50,000 crore (at current stock prices) of stock options to employees".

"Today, every Indian employee at every level who joined us on or before March 2010 is a stockholder of Infosys", he said.

Murthy is stepping down as non-executive Chairman and Chief Mentor on August 20 this year when he turns 65. He has been named Chairman-emeritus for life by the board of the company, which is completing 30 years in 2011.

Murthy said Infosys had demonstrated that businesses can be run legally and ethically; that it was possible for an Indian company to benchmark with the global best; and that any set of youngsters with values, hard work, team work and a little bit of smartness can indeed be successful entrepreneurs.

"This way, we have enthused millions of young men and women in India. This, in my opinion, is Infosys' greatest contribution", he said.

"The crucial things we have to do in the future are: recognise our weaknesses, be open-minded about learning from people better than us; learn from our mistakes and not repeat them; be humble, honest and courteous; benchmark with the best in every dimension; use innovation to perform at global levels; and create a worthwhile vision and improve every day", Murthy said.

He added: "This is how our mantra of focusing on speed, imagination and excellence in execution will take this company very far".