20 Firms Barred from IIT Placements After Canceled Offers

• Over 20 companies banned from IIT placements for retracting previous job offers.
• Last-minute cancellations disrupted careers and affected students’ mental health.
• IITs promote startups and off-campus hiring to improve placement opportunities.

With the start of the placement drive at India's leading Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), over 20 companies were prohibited from taking part this year. These firms had earlier retracted job offers extended to students in the prior academic year, with some cancellations occurring as recently as June and July - only days ahead of the designated start dates.

Officials informed TOI's Yogita Rao that these last-minute cancellations not only disturbed career plans but also impacted the mental health of students. In reaction, IITs collectively agreed to remove these companies from the ongoing placement season, although the institutes subsequently sought to support impacted candidates.

The prohibition concerns companies that withdrew offers from various IITs. Numerous companies function within the data analytics and software industries. However, they have been allowed to off-campus recruitments.

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A professor from IIT involved in placements stated that the coordinators from 15 IITs confirmed the final list of prohibited companies, “We looked at their past records too. Some of these companies had a history of revoking offers and six to seven IITs had already banned them from participation. Offers have been revoked by some companies where some alumni are working. There were also a few companies that reduced salary packages offered in the letter. The placement cells are trying to speak to higher authorities in these companies,” the professor told TOI.

The professor mentioned that IITs this year are emphasizing increased involvement from start-ups supported by the Centre’s Viksit Bharat initiative. “The job market is slow, but we are trying to reach out to many more companies and encourage start-ups incubated on prominent campuses to reach the best targets,” he said, noting that the placement season so far appears positive.