Top engineering colleges in India, the **Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)**, have taken a big step to protect their students. More than **20 companies** are now banned from hiring students directly from IIT campuses this year. This decision comes at the start of the **placement season**, which is when companies visit colleges to offer jobs to graduating students.
What is Placement Season?
For students in colleges like the IITs, the **placement season** is a very important time. It is when companies come to the campus to interview and offer jobs to final-year students. Getting a job offer through campus placements is often the goal for many students. It gives them a clear path after their studies. This process helps students get good jobs and helps companies find talented people.
Why Companies Were Banned
The main reason for this ban is that these companies had offered jobs to IIT students last year, but then took back those offers. This happened right before the students were supposed to start work. This caused a lot of problems for the students and created much uncertainty.
Many IITs follow a strict rule: a student with a confirmed job offer cannot apply for other jobs during placements. This is called the **"one-student-one-job" rule**. So, when these companies cancelled their offers at the last moment, students were left with no job at all. They had already said no to other interview calls and opportunities because they thought they had a secure job. This left them stranded without any employment options.
A Student's Difficult Experience
A student from **IIT Bombay**, who will graduate in **2025**, shared his difficult experience. He was offered a job with a high salary of around **Rs. 30 lakh per year**. But just two days before he was supposed to join the company, they cancelled his job offer. This sudden news was a big shock. Luckily, he managed to find another job quickly through an old student from his college. However, many other students were not so fortunate. Reports show that several affected students found themselves in a very tough spot, having lost their only job offer and having no other options left.
How the Ban Was Decided
This important decision was made after a careful review by placement coordinators from about **15 IITs** across the country. They all worked together and checked their records. They found that the same companies had cancelled job offers at multiple IITs. This showed that these firms were repeatedly unreliable.
Because of this clear pattern, the ban was agreed upon by all the IITs involved. This means the blacklisted companies cannot participate in campus recruitment drives at any of these IITs. Most of the companies that were banned belong to the **data analytics** and **software sectors**.
What This Means for Students Now
By taking this strong action, the IITs want to make sure that students feel more secure about their job offers. The goal is to make sure that a job offer given through campus placements is dependable. This reduces the risk of last-minute cancellations and helps students avoid the kind of stress and problems faced by last year's batch.
This move is meant to protect students' interests and ensure that the placement process is fair and transparent for everyone. It aims to build more trust in the campus recruitment system.
Looking Ahead: New Job Opportunities
To make sure students still have many job options, IIT placement cells are actively looking for new companies to join their placement drives. They are especially asking **startups** and companies supported by the government under the **Viksit Bharat programme** to come and hire students. This effort aims to create newer and more diverse job avenues for students.
The IITs are working hard to ensure that the placement season remains successful and offers reliable career starts for all their talented graduates. They want students to focus on their studies and future, without worrying about sudden changes to their job prospects.
