India in Dire Need of Civil Engineers

[TTCUSM]

I found this article in the New York Times:

Quote:Despite this nation’s rise as a technology titan with some of the world’s best engineering minds, India’s full economic potential is stifled by potholed roadways, collapsing bridges, rickety railroads and a power grid so unreliable that many modern office buildings run their own diesel generators to make sure the lights and computers stay on...

The problem is a dearth of engineers — or at least the civil engineers with the skill and expertise to make sure those ambitious projects are done on time and up to specifications.

Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but also long after independence as part of the civil service. These days, though, India’s best and brightest know there is more money and prestige in writing software for foreign customers than in building roadways for their nation.

[bala]

Could you move this thread to Politics and Current Affairs please? Thanks.

[Lije]

It's not dearth of engineers that is the problem. It is corruption. Government can't hire good engineers because it is busy throwing away money at other things.

[Sajit]

(10-Sep-2010, 11:29 PM)Lije Wrote: It's not dearth of engineers that is the problem. It is corruption. Government can't hire good engineers because it is busy throwing away money at other things.

Good point

[TTCUSM]

(10-Sep-2010, 11:29 PM)Lije Wrote: It's not dearth of engineers that is the problem. It is corruption. Government can't hire good engineers because it is busy throwing away money at other things.

Really?
It has nothing to do with cultural values that tend to look down upon professions involving manual labor?

[Lije]

(11-Sep-2010, 07:06 PM)TTCUSM Wrote: Really?
It has nothing to do with cultural values that tend to look down upon professions involving manual labor?

When did civil engineering become manual labor?

[TTCUSM]

(11-Sep-2010, 07:23 PM)Lije Wrote:

(11-Sep-2010, 07:06 PM)TTCUSM Wrote: Really?
It has nothing to do with cultural values that tend to look down upon professions involving manual labor?

When did civil engineering become manual labor?

It involves going out to construction sites and dealing with workers (as opposed to IT-related jobs, where you can sit inside an air-conditioned office all day).

[nanii0711]

don't worry India... I'm on the way!

[manju]

(11-Sep-2010, 07:06 PM)TTCUSM Wrote: Really?
It has nothing to do with cultural values that tend to look down upon professions involving manual labor?

From the article:

Quote:Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but also long after independence as part of the civil service.
:
In 1990, civil engineering programs had the capacity to enroll 13,500 students, while computer science and information technology departments could accept but 12,100. Yet by 2007, after a period of incredible growth in India’s software outsourcing business, computer science and other information technology programs ballooned to 193,500; civil engineering climbed to only 22,700. Often, those admitted to civil engineering programs were applicants passed over for highly competitive computer science tracks.

If Civil engineering degraded to a Sudra profession from being a Brahmin profession it happened only after 1990s. Why don't you at least read your own links before throwing up your hypothesis?

[TTCUSM]

(13-Sep-2010, 12:34 PM)manju Wrote:

(11-Sep-2010, 07:06 PM)TTCUSM Wrote: Really?
It has nothing to do with cultural values that tend to look down upon professions involving manual labor?

From the article:

Quote:Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but also long after independence as part of the civil service.
:
In 1990, civil engineering programs had the capacity to enroll 13,500 students, while computer science and information technology departments could accept but 12,100. Yet by 2007, after a period of incredible growth in India’s software outsourcing business, computer science and other information technology programs ballooned to 193,500; civil engineering climbed to only 22,700. Often, those admitted to civil engineering programs were applicants passed over for highly competitive computer science tracks.

If Civil engineering degraded to a Sudra profession from being a Brahmin profession it happened only after 1990s. Why don't you at least read your own links before throwing up your hypothesis?

I DID read the article.
I even read the comments at the end of the article.
Some of them were posted by Indian commentators, who were challenging the article's assertion that civil engineering was an "elite" profession before the 1990s.

Here's comment #77:

Quote:The author is mistaken if he believes that civil engineering was an "elite" profession 20 years ago. As far as I recall, electronics and computer engineering always occupied the top of the totem pole and attracted the brightest even before the rise of the IT industry. Salaries for civil engineers have always been paltry and the engineers used to be derogatorily referred to as nothing more than masons...

[manju]

The commentator is right in saying that paltry salary made it mason's job. For the rest, he misunderstood the author's English. Won't argue further. Thank you.

[murthymail]

TTCUSM is a troll.