Avg salary offered@IRMA dips by Rs1 L

If salaries offered to the students of Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) during this year’s campus placement are any indication, the situation doesn’t seem bright in the job market right now.

India’s first rural management institute has witnessed a sharp decline of Rs1.1 lakh per annum in average salary offered to its students at the end of the placement season for 2013.

According to information provided by IRMA, average salary offered to students of the Post Graduate Program in Rural Management (PRM) this year is Rs7 lakh per annum against Rs8.1 lakh offered to PRM batch in 2012.

This year, Rs13.5 lakh has been the highest annual package offered by the Godrej Agrovet which is Rs1.5 lakh less than Rs15 lakh offered last year. The lowest salary of Rs3.36 lakh has been offered by Rangsutra Craft from Bikaner.

Explaining the rationale behind the trend, placement coordinator Prof Rakesh Saxena said that as more students have opted for job with rural livelihood projects or allied sectors, offers have been lower. ““Around 30% of 92 students who participated in placement opted for jobs in rural livelihood projects. This has led to decline in the average salary offered this year,” he said.

Around 50 organisations from varied sectors like dairy, finance, rural livelihoods and agribusiness came with over 200 job offers for students.

Prominent recruiters this year included Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), Kudumbashree (State Poverty Eradication Mission, Kerala), Yes Bank, Magma Fincorp, and Kancor Ingredients.
Different rural development agencies of Bihar government, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra together have employed almost 30% of the whole batch, the IIMA said.

Apart from the above, around 25% students have been picked by the cooperatives and other associated organisations. The other prominent employing sectors include finance (20%) and agribusiness (10%), IRMA release said.

Around 30% of 92 students who participated in placement opted for jobs in rural livelihood projects. This has led to decline in the average salary offered this year”
— Prof Rakesh Saxena, placement coordinator, IRMA