Just 2 % of the employees of ISRO from IIT or NIIT
27 Sep, 2014The success of the Mars Mission has put the spotlight on the achievements of the Indian Space Research Institute (ISRO). Amidst the great strides in space, it has been revealed through an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act that ISRO has been able to attract and retain very few graduates from the premier institutes like IIT or NIIT. The reply to the RTI application filed shows that only 2% employees of ISRO are graduates from IITs or NITs. Analysts have pointed out that the low level of students of premier institutions in ISRO is not something which affects the organisation alone as their presence in other sectors like roadways and railways is not different.
Whether the presence of students of premier institutions would have made any difference to the achievements of the ISRO can only be a matter of speculation now. The recruitment system in ISRO doesn't differentiate between an IIT graduate from that of one from another engineering college. The working conditions and emoluments in the organisation is another major factor which seems to affect the decision of the students to join an organisation. Will ISRO make any special efforts to attract and nurture the talent?