PSUs lock horns with pvt firms for IIT talent

India's state-run companies are going head-to-head with private tech and consulting giants to snap up talent from the nation's top engineering colleges this year, reflecting the desire among government-owned firms to strengthen and diversify their employee pool.

- Pratishtha Bagai & Devina Sengupta

The public-sector undertakings (PSUs), which usually visited campuses in the second half of the placement period, are recruiting from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) in the first few days of the season. Hiring for roles in research and development, digital and engineering teams, they are offering competitive salaries of ₹15-21 lakh a year, along with retention plans, career mobility options and the promise of a stable job, Mint has learnt.

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (Ireda), Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) and Aadhaar-issuing Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) are among the PSUs that have swooped on campuses early. Others include Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL), Chennai Petroleum Corp. Ltd (CPCL), Gas Authority of India Ltd (Gail), Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL).