Terming apprehensions about job losses due to IT outsourcing to India as unfounded, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has asked Norwegian IT companies to take advantage of offshoring.
"IT outsourcing to India could improve Norwegian industries' competitiveness and their capacity to adapt to ongoing global trends," Chidambaram said at a seminar on IT in Oslo on Thursday.
India has been Norway's first source of skilled professionals for the past one year, he said.
He said contrary to apprehensions, more jobs have been created as a result of IT outsourcing.
During the seminar, acquisition of Bangalore-based IT company SPAN by Norway's largest IT company EDB Business Partners ASA, was announced.
This is the largest ever IT acquisition by Norwegian IT company in Asia involving over 500 IT professionals working with SPAN, according to an official release in New Delhi on Friday.
In his welcome address IKT Director General Per Morten Hoff welcomed India-Norwegian synergy in IT sector and assured of his Association's patronage to this trend.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
Outsource to India, FM tells Norwegian IT firms
October 29, 2007, 12:14 pmIT sheen leads to lesser no of Civ Ser aspirants
October 29, 2007, 12:13 pm
Growing job opportunities in IT and ITES sector has led to a decrease in the number of Civil Services aspirants, even as the general aptitude of those who were appearing for the tests were not upto the mark, a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) member said.
The aspirants generally lacked in-depth knowledge, analytical and communications skills, N Balagurusamy, member, UPSC, told reporters, after inspecting the Civil Services Main Examination 2007, held in a city school.
"Most of them lacked things like in-depth knowledge of subjects, ability to logically analyse and solve problems and the most important communication skills".
"The communication skills are very weak and the overall quality of aspirants is not upto the level of our expectations," he said.
He also said that the growing employment opportunities in South India, especially in the field of IT and BPO, had resulted in diminishing number of civil services aspirants from the region.
This year in the country, 3.2 lakh persons had submitted applications for the exam. Around 1.2 lakh took the preliminary test, while only 9,300 appeared for main exams.
Stressing the need for higher education, he said students should be prepared for challenges like civil services at schools and colleges.
Last year 23 per cent of selected candidates were from engineering background while 15 per cent from medical background.
"They get through easily because of strong (educational) foundation," he added.
On the attrition rate in the services, he said that only about five per cent of them quit for various reasons, including offers from private sector.
Balagurusamy also found that not many aspirants knew there were 23 options in the civil services.
"There are all kinds of services available in the UPSC, for candidates from almost every background, ranging from medicine to engineering to economics," he said.
There were services such as Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS), Indian Ordnance Factories Service(IOFS), Indian Railway Traffic Service(IRTS), Indian Defence Estates Service(IDES) and Indian Information Service(IIS) among others.
"Successful candidates generally prefer Indian Foreign Service(IFS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS)," Balagurusamy, also former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, said.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
The aspirants generally lacked in-depth knowledge, analytical and communications skills, N Balagurusamy, member, UPSC, told reporters, after inspecting the Civil Services Main Examination 2007, held in a city school.
"Most of them lacked things like in-depth knowledge of subjects, ability to logically analyse and solve problems and the most important communication skills".
"The communication skills are very weak and the overall quality of aspirants is not upto the level of our expectations," he said.
He also said that the growing employment opportunities in South India, especially in the field of IT and BPO, had resulted in diminishing number of civil services aspirants from the region.
This year in the country, 3.2 lakh persons had submitted applications for the exam. Around 1.2 lakh took the preliminary test, while only 9,300 appeared for main exams.
Stressing the need for higher education, he said students should be prepared for challenges like civil services at schools and colleges.
Last year 23 per cent of selected candidates were from engineering background while 15 per cent from medical background.
"They get through easily because of strong (educational) foundation," he added.
On the attrition rate in the services, he said that only about five per cent of them quit for various reasons, including offers from private sector.
Balagurusamy also found that not many aspirants knew there were 23 options in the civil services.
"There are all kinds of services available in the UPSC, for candidates from almost every background, ranging from medicine to engineering to economics," he said.
There were services such as Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS), Indian Ordnance Factories Service(IOFS), Indian Railway Traffic Service(IRTS), Indian Defence Estates Service(IDES) and Indian Information Service(IIS) among others.
"Successful candidates generally prefer Indian Foreign Service(IFS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS)," Balagurusamy, also former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, said.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
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