COVID-19 Pandemic: HRD Minister urges firms to not withdraw job offers

On Monday, the Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ urged companies to not withdraw job offers due to the economic slowdown created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, it was reported that a prominent firm had withdrawn job offers to 17 students across top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). He assured that the government was working to make sure that the situation does not have a long-lasting impact on the economy. Last week, he had held a meeting with directors of various IITs. He had asked for a task force for placements that may be established in institutes to tie up with several companies.

The task force was meant to make sure that sufficient placement not below the levels of past years may take place in these institutes. In the meeting, it was decided to conduct special drive in July/August for the students whose jobs have been withdrawn after campus placement. Besides this, the All IITs' Placement Committee (AIPC) had also referred to all the companies that visited for campus recruitment. It urged them not to withdraw placement offers made for the academic year 2019-20.

Last Friday, IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao had also issued a public appeal to all recruiters. According to Mr Rao, all IITs follow the equal opportunity principle (one candidate, one job) strictly. In such a circumstance, withdrawing an offer would mean students will end up not having any job right now. Most of the premier IITs and IIMs had recorded 100 per cent placements this year.

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