Sixth Pay Commission: MBAs play safe, vie for civil services

Sixth Pay Commission: MBAs play safe, vie for civil services

A24 x7 blue-collar job, with a six-figure pay - and the demons of impossible targets, insecurity and killer stress. Or a cushy government job, with a decent pay, comfortable lifestyle, non-existent accountability, loads of perks and real power? For MBAs, the choice is no longer a blind first. The heat generated by the global meltdown seems to have warmed their hearts for government jobs.

Caught in the worldwide financial turmoil, the glam quotient in corporate jobs has taken a nose-dive . Job security - rather than big bucks - is determining factor. Even IIM-Calcutta grads, the much-envied elite in the MBA community, cannot resist the survival instinct. Their choice: the Indian Civil Services.

Several IIM-C students are preparing as hard for the 2009-2010 civil service examinations, as they are for their MBA finals. IIM and IIT grads do appear in the civil services exam and make it to the topper's list every year. In fact, the Bengal cadre has a number of IIT graduates - S K Gupta, N S Nigam, Talleen Kumar, Binod Kumar , and Prabhat Mishra - to name a few. But this time the number of hopefuls from these elite campuses is far more.

The campus placements - in which the big bucks had dried up this season - perhaps isn't as much of a pull as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy that trains IAS officers . But won't they miss the sixfigure salaries?

"Money isn't everything," says Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh, 1st year student at IIM-C . He knows that the starting point is only Rs 24,000 a month in the civil services, but says he can "discount that for the more meaningful stuff in life" . With a gold medal in electrical engineering from NIT, Kurukshetra, the IIM-C students' council president is even ready to vouch for his campus mates. "We'll take the IAS exams because government service offers quality work. The reach is wider. And the pay does enhance with seniority."

"I want quality life and a rewarding career. You can have both as a bureaucrat . Besides, I don't want the stress that comes with a corporate package," says Harish, Singh's batchmate . "I always dreamt of being a civil servant. This meltdown has only reinforced my resolve. After the Sixth Pay Commission revision, a civil servant's job is paying, too."

Singh has made a note of the Cabinet secretary's Rs 90,000-minimum basic salary. "Add to that the other allowances and the perks and I can be laughing my way to the bank," he says, solemnly adding: "We've all weighed the pros and cons carefully. This isn't a sudden decision."

However, Jyotirmoy Pal Chowdhury , director of Bose Academy, an IAS coaching centre, feels it is just that - a knee-jerk reaction. "We have been struck by the sudden interest generated from B-schoolgoers for the 2009 ICS prelims. The global meltdown has certainly touched the civil service chord in job aspirants," says the veteran trainer.

IAS coaching centres run by IISWBM and Asutosh College had closed down a few years ago because the demand had waned in the glare of the corporate boom. Now, it's just the opposite.

"If B-school boys are really interested in our service, it's certainly a welcome development," says Sunil Mitra, power secretary and president, IAS Officers' Association. "The country will benefit from their managerial skills."

Subesh Das, principal secretary to chief minister, isn't surprised by the trend. "The government sector is the most challenging. It's the best paying, professionally," said Das, who has done a PhD in industrial and labour relations from Cornell University , US. "The extra professional degree (MBA) would only heighten their expertise as bureaucrats."

West Midnapore district magistrate N S Nigamagrees: "Several of my batchmates from IIT-Kanpur became civil servants. Nobody has any regret. This is one of the best professions available in India. Paywise, this job offers enough for a decent living."

But there have been some in the Bengal cadre who took a lien for Bcourses . Most of them left in due time for the moolah. Mitra's candid explanation : "Some of our younger colleagues have left the service to meet bigger challenges. On the flip side, there's no denying that the political environment does affect decisionmaking in governance. But now that the corporate bubble has burst, the positive sides of bureaucracy will be seriously considered. I am sure the trend is here to stay."

Or is it? A K Patnaik, member, State Administrative Tribunal, takes a different view. "Just because a handful of IIM grads are showing interest in IAS, we must not read too much into it. Our service has lost its primacy and differential advantage. In a meltdown scenario, any government job - and not just civil service - would be considered a better option."

Ditto, says HR consultant Tushar Bose: "I think it's only a temporary phenomenon. Once the economy bounces back, they will again look the corporate way."


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Miss World 2008 is Ksenia Sukhinova - Russia

Miss World 2008 is Ksenia Sukhinova - Russia

Miss World 2008 Russia - Ksenia Sukhinova

1st Runner-up India - Parvathy Omanakuttan

2nd Runner-up Trinidad & Tobago - Gabrielle Walcott.

Jennifer Aniston Desktop Calendar 2009

Jennifer Aniston Desktop Calendar 2009

Jennifer Aniston's wet T-shirt look for desktop calendar

IT'S only a 2009 desktop calendar, but the rather prim Jennifer Aniston has revealed herself like never before. news.com

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Today December 1 is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of

HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people

worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent,

improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2

million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children. The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World

Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments,

international organizations and charities around the world.

World AIDS Day Themes 1988 - present

1988 Communication
1989 Youth
1990 Women and AIDS
1991 Sharing the Challenge
1992 Community Commitment
1993 Act
1994 AIDS and the Family
1995 Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities
1996 One World. One Hope
1997 Children Living in a World with AIDS
1998 Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People
1999 Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People
2000 AIDS: Men Make a Difference
2001 I care. Do you?
2002 Stigma and Discrimination
2003 Stigma and Discrimination
2004 Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS
2005 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise
2006 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Accountability
2007 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership
2008 Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead - Empower - Deliver


Read more.

Aileen Quinn

Aileen Quinn

Date of Birth:28 June 1971, Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA
Mini Biography:Born June 28, 1971, Aileen was introduced to show business by her mother.
Trivia:Studied at Drew University, New Jersey.
Awards:Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Filmography
Jump to filmography as: Actress, Soundtrack, Self, Archive Footage
Actress:
In Production
2000s
1980s
Multiple Sarcasms (2008) (completed) .... School Secretary


30 (2007) .... Maggie
Generation Gap (2004) (TV) .... Host


The Frog Prince (1986) .... Princess Zora
... aka Cannon Movie Tales: The Frog Prince
The Charmkins (1983) (TV) (voice) .... Brown-Eyed Susan
Annie (1982) .... Annie
Ozu no mahôtsukai (1982) (voice) .... Dorothy Gale
... aka The Wizard of Oz (USA)

Soundtrack:
The Frog Prince (1986) (performer: "Lucky Day", "A Promise Is A Promise", "Friendship", "Have You Forgotton Me?")
... aka Cannon Movie Tales: The Frog Prince
Annie (1982) (performer: "Tomorrow (Opening Titles)", "Maybe", "It's The Hard-Knock Life", "Dumb Dog", "Sandy", "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here", "Let's Go To The Movies", "Tomorrow (White House Version)", "Maybe (Same Effect On Everyone)", "Finale Medley: I Don't Need Anything But You/We Got Annie/Tomorrow", "Tomorrow (End Credits)")
Ozu no mahôtsukai (1982) (performer: "Strictly Up to You", "I Dream of Home", "It's a Wizard of a Day")
... aka The Wizard of Oz (USA)

Self:
2000s
1980s
"Gylne tider" .... Herself (1 episode, 2006)
- Episode #3.3 (2006) TV episode .... Herself
The 100 Greatest Musicals (2003) (TV) .... Herself


Andy Williams' Early New England Christmas (1982) (TV) .... Herself
"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" .... Herself (1 episode, 1982)
... aka The Best of Carson (USA: rerun title)
- Episode dated 27 August 1982 (1982) TV episode .... Herself
Lights, Camera, Annie! (1982) (TV) .... Herself/Annie

Archive Footage:
"VM Show Vol. 2"
- Episode #1.5 (2005) TV episode .... Annie


Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0703747/