Freshers recruited by Satyam stranded

6,000 engineering students offered jobs by the disgraced computer giant have nowhere to go now

With the revelation of the country's biggest corporate fraud, Satyam has not only put the jobs of its 53,000 employees in jeopardy, but also spelled doom for nearly 6,000 engineering students. In 2007, Satyam had issued offer letters to nearly 6,000 students on campuses across the country with lucrative salary packages. With the recent series of events, all those dreams and aspirations have come crashing. >6

'There are no options for us...'

Suresh N, a students picked on campus, is a worried man today. "I was placed in 2007, and finished my engineering in 2008. Satyam HR has been delaying the joining date. When I went to Hyderabad to meet the HR, they did not let us enter," he said.

The sole breadwinner of the family, Suresh said, "I took a loan of Rs 2.5 lakh for my engineering course. My father passed away and I have to look after my mother. I was happy that Satyam offered me a Rs-3-lakh-per-annum package. Now when I went job hunting, I was offered jobsu00a0 paying just Rs 3,000-4,000 per month"

"Every one is talking about the 53,000 employees of Satyam. But no one is thinking about us. Now, with recession, there are no jobs available," said Sahil Khan, from Shimoga, Karnataka.

The affected students are asking the new board members to consider their plight.

Not only have the students lost out on lucrative jobs, but also the opportunity to go for higher studies.

"All the entrance exams for MBA and other courses for this year are over. Now if we have to study we have to apply for CAT 2009, which is for the 2010 session. This way we will lose two years," said a student.

Some like Anand Mathur gave up their BPO jobs after getting Satyam's letter, asking them to join in a month.

"I was working in a call centre in Delhi, when I got this mail from Satyam saying that I would have to join in the next 30 days. I gave up the job and landed in Bangalore. When I called the HR, they said they were not sure of their jobs and could not tell us anything," he said.

No reason to suspect
Satyam kept in touch with the students and asked for constant updates. The students were confident that their jobs were secure. After their final semester ended:
> Satyam asked the students to submit their marksheets
> They were asked to apply for PAN cards and send the details
> Students were asked to enroll with Nasscom
> Students were even made to undergo medical tests