What'll we do with all these engineers: PM's adviser

Updated on: Tuesday, January 04, 2011

A top science advisor to the Prime Minister made known his displeasure over the government's announcement that would substantially increase intake in engineering colleges at a time when he believes the number of admissions is already high.

Prof C N R Rao, an eminent scientist and chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the PM, said that this year admissions at engineering colleges in India topped seven lakh, ten times the number in the US, where only 70,000 students are enrolled for such streams annually. “What do we do with all these engineers (in India)?” Rao, a scientist of international repute, asked. “They are not trained; they can't be used.” Rao initially declined to comment on HRD minister Kapil Sibal's announcement on Thursday which is estimated to increase engineering seats substantially remarking, “I have nothing to do with education what he does.”

Earlier, he said that though admissions to engineering colleges are increasing, what is also needed is rising enrolment in other subjects such as economics, poetry, philosophy, botany and biology.

What'll we do with all these engineers: PM's adviser

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