New data shows decline in IIT campus placements, Jairam Ramesh slams Modi govt

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday accused the Modi government of withholding data from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) that reportedly shows a significant decline in campus placements and salary packages for final-year B Tech students.

Ramesh referenced a media report and wrote on X, “New data from the IITs, which the Modi Government compiled but chose not to publish, show a significant decline in the percentage of students getting placements and the average salary package drawn by final-year B Tech students through campus placements.”

According to the data cited by Ramesh, between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the seven oldest IITs saw an 11 percentage point drop in placements, with average salaries dipping by ₹0.2 lakh. The next eight IITs recorded a 9 percentage point decline in placements and a ₹2.2 lakh drop in salaries, while the eight newest IITs experienced a 7.3 percentage point fall in placements and a ₹1 lakh reduction in average salary.

Commenting on the broader implications, Ramesh said, “The twin problems of mass unemployment and wage stagnation have clearly reached even the students from India’s most prestigious higher educational institutions.”

In a related concern, the Congress leader highlighted the potential impact of the “Halting International Relocation of Employment Act” (HIRE Act) recently introduced in the US Senate. He warned that the legislation, which reflects a growing US mindset to retain white-collar jobs domestically, could have far-reaching consequences for India’s IT and services sectors and the broader India-US economic relationship.