IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) has blacklisted 31 companies giving a strong message on revoking the job offers and playing with the life of the students. First time ever IITs have come up with the list of blacklisted recruiters. Around 140 IIT student were affected by these firms who stepped back from their promises. Amongst the 31 companies, there were some big brands and some start-ups. All these companies were barred from the campus placements.
According to All Indian Placement Committee (AIPC), these 31 companies cancelled the job offers of the students that were made in the last placement season. They also delayed their joining date, made offers in the name of the one employer when they had actually hired them for an affiliate. Some of the Recruiters were found to be fake. Although AIPC hasn't given details about revoking of each company separately, but IIT Bombay mentioned that:
- GPSK, Johnson Electric, Portea, Peppertap and CashCare were blacklisted for revoking job offers.
- LexInnova and Indus Insights were blacklisted for delaying the joining date of recruits. Mera Hunar came with a different name and hired students for another start-up.
- LeGarde was blacklisted for both revoking offers and the company was found fake with no proper office address.
- IIM-Ahmedabad wrote to Flipkart’s management, rebuking the e-commerce marketplace for postponing the hiring of IIT graduates by six months. Since then, IITs have put together a common front against start-ups.
All Indian Placement Committee (AIPC) coordinator, Kasturbha Mohanty said that they have banned the companies especially the start-ups as they visited the campus and then dishonoured their promise of offering jobs to the students. He emphasised on the lines “played with the careers of students”.
In the past six months, several start-ups came under the limelight for delaying or cancelling jobs offered to engineer and management graduates. The list of 31 Companies banned by IIT include:
- Zettata
- Nowfloats
- ConsultLane
- Zimply
- Peppertap
- Portea Medica
- Babajobs
- GPSK
- Hopscotch
- SmartTrak Solar Systems Pvt. Ltd
- Crayon Data India Pvt. Ltd
- Glow Homes Technologies Pvt. Ltd
- Tescra Software Pvt. Ltd (Rockon)
- Grofers
- Tenova India Pvt. Ltd
- Verity Knowledge Solutions
- Excellence Tech
- Stayzilla
- Roadrunnr
- LexInnova Technologies
- LeGarde Burnett Group
- Johnson Electric (Japan)
- Mera Hunar
- Fundamental Education
- CashCare Technology
- Holamed
- Indus Insights
- Clicklabs
- Grabhouse
- Medd
- Zomato
Few Start-ups are banned for a year from the IIT Placement Session, including home healthcare services provider Portea Medical, restaurant search and review website Zomata, and online baby clothes and product company Hopscotch.
AIPC coordinator Mohanty said in an email that if these blacklisted companies wish to attend the IIT Placement, then they have to first write to AIPC about the reason and explain why they have dishonoured the promises done with the students. Adding Further Monhanty who is also a Professor at IIT Guwahati said that apart from writing an explanation the Companies need to come up with a presentation and will also have a discussion with all AIPC members.
The founder of ConsultLane (one of the blacklisted company), Dinesh Sharma, giving a clarification about their company said that two students who were offered placement by the company failed to pass their final exams and asked for four months’ time to join their Jobs after completing their graduation, but they failed to do so and hence the company hired people from other industry.
Hyperlocal delivery start-up Peppertap shut its operations in April as the firm and rivals struggled with a funding slowdown. The company continues to run its reverse logistics business.