Kochi-based startup founder Dr. Deepessh Divaakaran says India is funding an elite engineering education system that largely benefits foreign companies—calling the IIT model “state-sponsored cognitive asset laundering.”
In a sharply worded post, Divaakaran criticized the Indian Institutes of Technology for serving foreign markets instead of national priorities. “Over 30–36% of IIT graduates migrate abroad.
Sixty-two percent of the top 100 JEE rankers settle in the U.S. or Europe,” he wrote. “And 70% of those who stay work for foreign MNCs like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and McKinsey.”
The Indian government spends between ₹10–15 lakh per IIT student over four years. The total IIT budget for 2024–25 is ₹9,660 crore. Students pay a fraction; many pay nothing due to scholarships.
“Who pays the rest? You do,” Divaakaran said, arguing that taxpayers are subsidizing a talent pipeline for the West. Less than 3% of IIT grads join defense or research institutions like DRDO, ISRO, or BARC. “Nation-building? Who cares,” he wrote.
Divaakaran linked this trend to economic imbalance. “A software engineer in the US earns ₹1.5 crore per year. An entry-level ISRO scientist earns ₹12 lakh,” he noted. “We pay for the training. The West buys the mind.”
He questioned the public celebration of this migration. “Before 1947, we exported cotton and diamonds. Now, we export intelligence. And we celebrate it. Because we mistake personal success for national pride.”
He called for structural changes: a five-year national service bond for publicly funded graduates and a National Brain Retention Plan. “Why are foreign MNCs allowed to recruit from national institutes without investing in India’s core sectors?” he asked.
Originally created for atomic research and rural development, IITs are now supplying engineers to California, Divaakaran argued. “These institutions weren’t built for applause. They were built for defending India’s sovereignty. Now they defend shareholder profits.”
The post ends with a challenge: “You pay your taxes. You build their dreams. They build another country. And the country that birthed them? Stands clapping.”
