IITB : Ban on Foreign Internships

An article in Mumbai Mirror , DATE : 16/06/08

Premier institute will make it compulsory for students to undertake internship in in a bid to expose them to local conditions, reverse brain drain

In an bid to contain ‘brain drain’ and meet the needs of Indian industry, IIT-B will make it mandatory for B Tech (4-year course) and dual degree programme (5-year course) students to enroll for internship in Indian companies or research institutions. The internship is part of the course curriculum.

Hmm… a very basic question : does an internship for 3 months really change your outlook so much you feel like goin abroad after ur BTech… another question : Is doin a PhD abroad and then comin back to India an example of Brain Drain or is it a matter of manpower enhancement for India… yet another ques : How many students really end up gettin jobs abroad once they pass out of IIT… for those studyin in IITs.. you know there are harldly… for those who are not.. you know the situation now..

An internal report by IIT-B says over 60 per cent of the students undertake internship in foreign companies or universities hoping the experience will come handy while seeking admission for post-graduate programmes abroad or getting jobs in foreign companies.Academics feel this is one of the reasons for losing its talented youths to other countries.

60% !! I thought the figure might actually be just 6%… these are overtly exaggerated numbers… it will be interestin case in RTI to find where it got exaggerated… I think with the kind of articles Mumbai Mirror is puttin up these days, I can safely assume its the reporter himself…  for everyone around… trust me.. the figure is much much lower than what is being stated…

Arguments.. hmm… most internees end up in Europe… some in Australia and Canada.. scarecely in US and other places… however..  the favorite destination for PG programmes or anythin for that matter is the US… I dont see what usefulness this experience carries… if at all.. its just widens the perspective of the students in the field of research.. so they are better equipped in their curriculum in IITs… its what happened to Shaun Marsh in IPL..  I dont see how it harmed the Australian Cricket in any way…

The bigger deal : IITians tend to go abroad only because of lack of proper infrastructure in India… they are a hard workin lot (yupp.. it might be a case of self appraisal here) … and they will obviously reject workin in Indian companies which mostly dont pay much… and have a terrible work culture.. When big companies like TATA, ONGC and some IT giants have not been able to sustain IITians for long… how is it expected that other companies improve the scene… A 3 month intern in any part of the world will not bring about any change at all here.. its fruitless.. the purpose looks only worth some nonsense talk among old 70 year olds… there is no sense at all…

But with the Indian economy looking up and local companies complaining of a talent crunch, it was time to stop the ‘brain drain’.

Ashok Misra, director, IIT-Bombay, says, “Students will have to undertake internship in if they want their course credits.

Instead of foreign universities, they will now get to join Indian institutes such as Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Saket Narayan(BARC), Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

“This move should help both the students as well as the country. We took this decision to retain the engineering talent of the country. Students get attracted to foreign companies and fail to update themselves on the developments in industries in . It is very shocking for us that students are unaware about what’s happening in Indian companies.

We want our students to experience the excitement of engineering companies and research institutes in and have a glimpse of the developments here. At the same time, we want our industry to interact with our exciting and highly talented students.”

Well.. i wont argue here.. this is not even worth it.. With due respects to the IIT administration for blessin their ideas on the only bright thing in ‘India Shining’… Consider the Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science Department of IIT Bombay… with just 90 students at present (this is before reservations and other crap)… lets consider some companies who will be interested in actually takin students for interns.. not just showin interest in front of reporters… Tata Steel… well.. they take 3 guys… Jindal, ESSAR.. another dozen… ITC.. 2-3 more… some other big names.. another dozen… that totals to around 30 guys in big companies… what about the rest 60… they work in road side enterprises… in companies which cant affort to have internship programs… in companies which makes them enter accounts on to excel files for 3 months… in companies which are useless but assure them of a certificate… what useful is this experience.. what good does it do to the country… Unless you go out to see what the developed nations are doin.. you really cant progress… lets face it.. Indian companies are dull, dumb and slow.. the scene might be changin.. but then.. if 60 out of 90 students are to be wasted like this… there is no point callin them the cream of the nation… wonder which base they are gonna strenghten this policy on.. ??

Industrial Internships are anyways very rare and difficult to get… There was no point in bannin it and creatin such a big issue… and it definitely wasnt worth the big issue… A look at the comments on Mumbai Mirror online and its shameful… Nobody understands what this talk is about.. everybody draws out their own conclusions… there is criticism all around…

I would suggest Mumbai Mirror to look for other things to make fun of… I think there will be a point when Journalism will the most hated aspect of the country..  I hope they dont face a ban soon… !!

.. and as far as IITs are considered.. well.. with so much being done to dismantle them forever.. this is just a small.. minor move….

The Case of Afzal Guru

I think that the present UPA government will do all it takes to somehow block or suspend the Afzal Guru hanging case… and my point becomes clearer by the day…If someone is on the lookout for evidence.. here are some :  an unnecessary, deliberate, manned, controlled, strategic, sly delay on decidin the clemency petition… never before has a yes/no answer taken so long.. not even the most pampered girl in the world would take so much time in makin a decision when so much as the entire life of a brave guy is at stake….  then this equation of unrelated issues like Sarabjit singh’s case in Pakistan… Probably the UPA government is tryin its level best to delay the hanging… I feel if you believe that there is a tie up between the screwed Govt of Pakistan (it happens to be Harpic and Odonil in my house) and the UPA to delay both the Sarabjit and Afzal case… then all reports will be found in place…the motion would be clear enough… Although such a thing is just my imagination.. for an iota of truth here would be enough to spark that downfall at the center…

So everyone waits… till Afzal himself escapes from prison (or allowed to escape as is normally the case).. another fine episode of  prison break to be streamed all day long in half the channels broadcasted over television…till another Kandhahar to take place… till someone hits on the bright idea of  tradin him for Sarabit’s release…till Afzal’s supporters create a public opinion for abolition of capital punishment citing the European practices…                                                                   

SO much for the UPA government…

The case of Narendra Modi

Men should be men… Should standby by whatever they believe in and take on the world, if needed… I think Narendra Modi falls very much into the category… precise, distinct, direct, and disciplined use of words and an honest belief in whatever he says…

“Actually, I have not spent a single minute on my image and that can also be a reason. I am busy with my work. I am committed to Gujarat. I am dedicated to Gujarat. I never talk about my image. I never spent a single minute for my image and therefore confusions may be there”

Thats Modi in an interview recently…

No doubt, he is a demagogue, who let Gujarat burn and let innocent people get killed. But one can’t ignore the fact that today Gujarat is flourishing… It stands among the states that contribute the most to the national GDP (nearly INR 10,000 million)… It is one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment in India and it is on Kerala’s path of providin education to everybody in the state… If one says that it is all due to the resilient people of Gujarat who are makin all this possible, then one can’t blame him for any mishap in the state…

The Rajeev Gandhi foundation has declared Gujarat to be the best-administered state in India… India Today, on two separate occasions, declared him the most efficient Chief Minister around…Not that these laurels come for free… or without reason… These things became possible only because he has been successful in givin clean, effective and progressive governance over last five years… Outside Gujarat, most people like to hate Modi… but there is a definitive change of views once their eyes themselves amaze to the powerful infrastructure… Gujarat shinin…

I believe that in a democratic and dynamic country, masses have the last word and masses always override media and other speculations… The truth will finally dawn on the people… It’s the people of Gujarat who will decide the fate of this man..

Finally, I don’t think many news channels have shown Gujarat and Modi in a positive manner… For Modi to gain power nationwide, thats somethin he needs to work on… For the rest.. he is the best CM…

… and if an evidence is needed.. here is some :

Modi dares Congress to file case of sedition against him
16 Jun 2008, 1421 hrs IST,PTI

SURAT: A week after daring the Centre to remove Gujarat from the list of centrally-assisted states, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at the Congress again.

“I invite the whole Congress regime, please do not waste a single day, book me for sedition today and hang me. Let me see how they can,” he said while addressing a public function here on Sunday.

“But how can they? They have not been able to hang Afzal Guru,” he added referring to the man convicted for terror attack on Parliament in 2001.

Modi has been playing political rhetoric again in recent days. At a function in Vadodara last week, he said Gujarat gives Rs 40,000 crore as taxes to the Centre and receives only 2.5 per cent of it in return.

He asked the government to stop collecting taxes from Gujarat and also stop aid to the state. The Congress questioned Modi’s remarks and said they were “nothing less than an assault on the idea of India.”

During recent Gujarat elections, Modi’s controversial statements reaped rich dividends for him. He had taken on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for calling him a ‘maut ka saudagar (merchant of death).’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks at itself at the only party strong enough to deal with terror and is not leaving any opportunity to hit out at the Congress.

Modi has kick-started the BJP’s new campaign before general elections due next year. And he is looking ahead to a larger role in national politics.

Why fuss over Petrol Price Rise ?

It’s good that the finance minister has clarified that the government doesn’t intend to slap a cess on income and corporate taxes to tide over the oil crisis… Crude prices are at an intimidating $127-a-barrel… Its nothin less than an international crisis… as economies across the world face the threat of galloping inflation and likely recession… India can’t hope to buck the trend and sleep over the unprecedented rise in oil prices… But the government has so far refused to raise domestic prices for petroleum products… Instead… it has allowed public sector oil companies to absorb the shock… If the trend continues, these companies will go bust.

The simple solution to end the crisis… which is applied in the case of almost all commodities… is to allow retail prices of petroleum products to reflect the international situation… The cost of petrol in particular should go up by over Rs 20 per litre… if the government allows the market to reflect international prices… This being an election year… the government, already smarting under a series of electoral defeats and soaring inflation, doesn’t want to risk a petrol price rise… Instead, it is thinking of indirect measures to absorb the price differential… The government is looking for a political solution to what is essentially an economic problem…

Oil is an essential commodity, agreed… But we need to recognise that it doesn’t come free… Political parties that are opposing a hike in oil prices should accept that there are no free lunches… The government should raise petrol prices and continue to keep kerosene and diesel prices relatively low to contain inflation… Of course… it is unrealistic for the government to reflect global crude rates in retail prices… it will have to be a slew of measures that are politically, economically and morally sound… The Left has argued that the government should cut duties and make up the price differential… This argument is valid to some extent only… But the duty cuts have to be reasonable…  A fall in revenues would mean less money for welfare schemes… Is that acceptable ??? Who is the Left shielding when it opposes fuel price hike ??? Should the interests of the vocal middle class alone override the economic concerns of the entire population ???

A sharp increase in the price of petrol and a reasonable cut in duties are necessary to tide over this crisis… The government should not be scared at the prospect of the opposition taking to the streets on the issue… Worse could happen if the government fails to act now… Global prices have cooled off in the past few days, though it is too early to confirm a trend… If they do decline in a few months, the government can surely pass on the benefits to consumers by lowering the petrol price… Meanwhile, can the opposition desist from populist gestures and maintain calm in the face of a national and international emergency?  I doubt…