Why every student needs access to industry-relevant skills and how Career Launcher can help

By CL -

February 28, 2019

Let’s say a child somewhere in a remote area in the country wants to pick up new skills, but the university he/she studies in does not offer such courses; should he/she be deprived of learning just because there is no university nearby? Or just because the university he/she studies in does not offer new age relevant courses? Of course not!

Universal Education means quality education for all:

Every student deserves quality education irrespective of where he/she lives. No matter where you study, you need to have access to relevant new age courses in the market to survive in upcoming vibrant careers of tomorrow. Getting skilled in new age skills in finance and technology is the need of the hour. To accomplish this goal, Career Launcher has created an integrated platform for students where they can get certified in the course of their choosing.

Up-skill to keep up with the trends of the time:

Students need to be skilled in the areas where it matters, and not every education institution today has the infrastructure or the faculty to meet this goal. To bridge this gap, Career Launcher has now officially partnered with AICTE approved institutions. Our Machine Learning and Finance courses are designed to best equip you with the latest trends in the job market. Our courses in Finance and Data Science will be made available to all students in all universities regulated by AICTE.

Get certified in industry-relevant courses while simultaneously getting your degree:

You can now get certified in Career Launcher’s prestigious industry relevant courses and up your credentials while simultaneously getting your degree. This is made possible by Career Launcher’s official association with AICTE as a designated training partner. This is bound to transform higher education and will soon set in motion a new culture of learning within college campuses itself.

Get recognized by top Employers:

We are often guided by the greater objective of getting into the profession of our dreams. Due to the intensity of competition today, the need of the hour is to up-skill. Getting your hands on these certifications will significantly enhance your portfolio as it will make it that much easier to get recognized by top employers. Getting certified in programs like Machine Learning, or being FRM certified for example, will put you ahead of the race, making you the obvious pick from a pool of candidates with the same qualification as you as these additional certifications will add to your credentials.
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How to gain visibility among the most sought-after Corporate Recruiters.

By CL -

February 28, 2019

Most private educational universities and colleges today are regulated by AICTE. For those who don’t already know, AICTE is the apex body for the regulation of higher technical education in India. In collaboration with AICTE, Career Launcher is determined to enhance your career prospects and add value to your education. By working closely with all AICTE regulated institutions, Career Launcher hopes to make you well trained, well informed, and better skilled professionals for the industry.

A forward looking Campus Development Center is the need of the hour:

Every university today must have a progressive, highly advanced, and forward looking CDC (Career Development Center) that satisfies the twin objective of preparing you for further education, and making you employment ready. However, most universities lack the infrastructure and the man power to accomplish this. To solve this problem, Career Launcher is collaborating with AICTE to develop their CDC capacity. By making knowledge accessible through Aspiration-AI, and pre-qualifying you for corporate recruitment through rigorous preparation for the infamous CCQT Exam, the twin objective of refining you for further education and employment will be met. This is elaborated below:

1. Meet your ambitions at the click of a button with Aspiration AI:

Through Aspiration AI, Career Launcher will help you prepare for your career dreams and educational aspirations, be it CAT, GATE, GRE, UPSC, SSC or something else entirely. Whether you want to get into a management program, or do a masters or PHD abroad, or crack competitive government exams, success is no longer a distant dream. Aspiration AI gives you access to preparation material, course content, test series, and relevant notifications about the most recent developments in the education world and the job market – all in one place. With Aspiration-AI, you are just one click away from success!

2. Best prepare for the most sought-after Corporate jobs:

To be employed by the best corporate bodies, you need to be best prepared for it. The infamous and highly valued CCQT Exam pre-qualifies you for corporate recruitment as the CCQT Exam is used as a corporate yardstick to assess a student’s competence in the corporate field. As the only certified training partner of TCS-Ion, Career Launcher has tapped into the niche market of getting you employed in the company of your dreams by becoming the only competent authority providing coaching for the exam with its TCS-Ion CCQT (Qualifier) Program.

There is nothing that can keep you from your dream job if you have the ambition to fight for your dreams. But to do that, you need to be aware of the opportunities that are out there. This is where Aspiration AI comes in to help you stay updated of the most recent developments in the education and job market. But to know about the best opportunities is not enough; you also need to be best prepared for the challenges that come your way. That’s what our CCQT (Qualifier) Program can do for you.

All that being said; we encourage you to know the most to make the most and leave the rest to us!

90-Day Strategy to Crack Civil Services Prelims 2019

By CL -

February 27, 2019

UPSC has released the notification for Civil Services 2019 and Indian Forest Service 2019 exams. The last date for applying is March 18, 2019 (6:00 p.m. IST).
Here are some important dates:
1. Date of notification of Civil Services (Prelims): February 19, 2019
2. Last date to apply for Civil Services (Prelims): March 18, 2019
3. Date of Preliminary Exam: June 2, 2019
4. Date of Main Exam: September 29, 2019

Compared to last year, this year, the vacancies have increased. Total number of vacancies now is 896.

Highlights:
• No change in age limit.
• No change in the exam pattern.
• No change in the exam syllabus.
• No change in number of attempts.
• EWS reservation quota has been added.

For more details, you can download the official notification from www.upsconline.nic.in.

“Before going into battle, know the strength of the opponent”.
This is an apt approach to crack UPSC Civils Prelims because it helps you gauge your strengths and weakness. In this context, here are the details of the past five years’ exams:

Analyze past years’ trends

As you can see from the table, every subject has importance in the UPSC exam. Which means, you cannot give priority to one at the expense of others.
So, stay focused and complete every subject.
To do that, first you will need to identify your strength (i.e., your favorite subject). Complete it first; and then move on to your next favorite.
Alternatively, you can follow our 90-day study plan, which is mentioned below:

Remember, there is no study plan that fits all. Customize it based on your own strengths and weakness, so that you can maximize your potential.

Akshat Dwivedi
IAS Faculty Member, Career Launcher

Sector Dynamics & Current Status

By CL -

February 22, 2019

Ashish Agrawal
Founder, India Business Analysis | IIT Roorkee, IIM-C alumnus

Construction of national highways seems to have made a comeback, as per the performance details for 2018 released recently by the ministry. The sector had lost way sometime back, when several companies had surrendered their projects upon failed execution. The crisis even led to bankruptcy of some of the construction companies; while several others had referred to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

National highways—connecting major economic, commercial, and other centers—act as the backbone of an economy, even though the aggregate road network remains the lifeline. As per the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), national highways currently handle as much as 40% of road traffic, with just about 2% share in total road network of over 56 lakh km (the share would be higher if the number of lanes is also taken into consideration).

National Highways/Expressways, with a total length of 1.3 lakh km currently, gained prominence around the turn of the century, when the golden quadrilateral was mooted—widely considered as an important reason for the economy’s revival. Incidentally, this also marked the participation of the private sector in development of highways, which was earlier undertaken only by government agencies.

The year 2017–18 was an inflexion point in highways development, with construction of almost 10,000 km during the year (as compared to 8,200 km in FY’17 and 4,300 km in FY’14). Contracts were awarded for 17,000 km, entailing a total investment of INR 1.5 lakh crore in FY’18, as compared to just 3,200 km in FY’14. Actual investment in FY’18 was INR 1 lakh crore—about one-third of which was invested by private sector companies, thereby indicating returning confidence.

The progress appears to have gained further momentum in FY’19, with construction of 5,800 km in the first nine months—up from 4,900 km completed during the same period last year (completion in the last quarter of the financial year is usually lot more than that in the first three quarters). Overall, more than 61,000 km of road projects, costing more than INR 6.5 lakh crore, are in progress at present, as per the MoRTH report.

Construction of highways is carried out on projects basis, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) being the nodal agency. While construction is relatively easy, the real challenge lies in land acquisition. A case in point is the recently conceptualized Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, where the project commissioning date has been advanced with successful completion of significant part of land acquisition. Even cost of construction is reasonable, with an average cost of INR 9 crore per km for the projects awarded in FY’18. The average rate would put the cost of a project connecting landlocked Nagpur to the port city of Vishakhapatnam—covering nearly 750 km—at less than INR 7,000 crore, which is not really a huge figure for Corporate India.

The earlier model of construction involved ownership by the developer, and significant project risk. The model received tremendous response around 2006–10, with the share of private sector in total investments going up from less than 5% in FY’06 to over 40% in FY’12. However, projects started getting stuck around this time, due to issues in land acquisition, lack of financial closure, and difference in interpretation of contract clauses. It may be noted that projects totaling 8,200 km, entailing cost of over INR 1 lakh crore were stuck primarily due to delay in land acquisition. Out of these, almost INR 60,000 crore worth of projects have been rebid and re-awarded.

The sector has now got impetus with the change in development model of the projects from earlier BOT, BOOT to the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) introduced in 2016. While the contractor was entirely responsible for financing the project in the earlier model, the government provides 40% of the project cost in the HAM mode. Further, ‘traffic risk’ has been transferred to the government, which pays a fixed annuity to the contractor based on the initial bid, irrespective of the actual toll collection. Projects worth INR 52,000 crore have been awarded based on this mode.

The development of highways network in the North-Eastern region deserves special mention, particularly because of the difficult terrain and greater difficulty in laying rail network. Projects totaling 13,000 km, worth INR 1.6 lakh crore, are under various stages of planning and construction.

The Tumultuous Valley

By CL -

February 22, 2019

The Pulwama incident, where a car bomb struck a convoy of paramilitary forces on February 14, killed at least 40 CRPF jawans. Being the deadliest of such instances in the last 30 years, it is not merely an attack on India’s mainland, but it is also a direct challenge to the government in the form of a return of the Taliban strategy of suicide bombing through vehicle explosion.

According to government officials, the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has taken responsibility of this attack. Its leader, Masood Azhar,
“… has been given full freedom by the government of Pakistan … to carry
out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity” declared a statement by India’s Foreign Ministry. Masood has a long history of involvement in terrorism. In 1999, he was freed from an Indian prison, in exchange of civilians taken hostage on board a hijacked Indian Airlines flight.

The suicide bomber has been identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, a resident of Gundibagh village in Pulwama; and a diehard fan of M S Dhoni and the Indian cricket team. Although initial responses in India have focused on grief for the fallen and anger at Pakistan, some have pointed out intelligence lapses, as well as policy choices that have failed to address the underlying problems of Kashmir.

India’s Concern
The Pulwama attack has created a new challenge for India’s security personnel, intelligence agency, and internal security, because the strategy, which was used, is similar to that of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The episode needs to be viewed from two perspectives: first, internal threat by homegrown terror, and second, external threat by regional forces.

Internal threat from Kashmiri locals is dependent on the government’s own behavior with respect to implementation of its policies. The Central Government has taken several measures towards empowering the youth of the region through education (e.g., IIT-JEE courses), new employment opportunities (under skill development scheme, etc.).

But the results are not very positive. From scholars to school dropouts and technocrats — locals are joining terrorist outfits.

The question is: Why?

We should use a behavioral approach to understand this trend in Kashmir. At a superficial level, the problem appears to be a movement for the freedom of Kashmir. But a more in-depth analysis reveals it to be an ideological war, as well.

The Government needs to adopt an innovative approach to reduce militancy in the ‘minds of the Kashmiri youth’. The Center and the State governments could try to involve the Islamic intelligentsia in policy making, and promote the Sufi ideology against the Wahabi one.

Other aspects are also responsible for the unrest in Kashmir. Unemployed youth are highly vulnerable in terms of radicalization. Political parties appease Kashmiris for their own benefit. Instability in the government (Governor’s Rule) undermines the democratic right of the people, leading to a loss of faith in the constitutional approach.

On the other hand, external threat is linked to recent development in India’s backyard. Pakistan is a key player in the region, when it comes to supporting terrorism. Sponsoring militancy in Kashmir is regarded as a relatively cheap and effective way to create a hurdle, while simultaneously perpetuating instability along the country’s vulnerable southern flank. Pakistan’s ‘assistance’ to Kashmiri local intruders covers the ambit of training and logistical, financial, and doctrinal support. The responsibility for managing these rests on the ISI’s Operations Branch; and tends to be conducted through two sub-divisions: Joint Intelligence Miscellaneous (JIM) and Joint Intelligence North (JIN).

Apart from military backing, Pakistan also plays an important role in financing Kashmiri insurgents. According to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the annual ISI expenditure on the main militant organizations is nearly $250 million. These funds cover the salaries for fighters (nearly ₹10,000 a month), support to their families, incentives for high-risk operations, and informers.

Another development is associated with the announcement of US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Most of Afghanistan is under control of the Taliban; and the Indian Government supports the Afghan Government and democracy within modern democratic means. Pakistan wants to exploit this situation to destabilize Kashmir with the help of the Afghan-Taliban.

The Pulwama attack is a sign of this engagement.

The Indian Government should think about new alignments in the region; and try to engage different partners like Iran, Russia, China, etc., to control the terrorist outfits.

Toward a Solution
The focus should be on key components to formulate an agreement for implementing the solution in which India and Pakistan stop firing at each other; and let Kashmir be in peace.

First, there needs to be a time-bound engagement on both sides, with multiple stakeholders, including the civilian government, army, intelligence, separatist and civil society; and the focus being resettlement of Kashmiri Pundits in the valley. Second, India needs to address the humanitarian concern in Kashmir by repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act; and replacing it with a version that recognizes and protects the human rights of innocent Kashmiris. Third, a robust law and order structure and arrangements need to be in place. Personal and religious freedom must be protected in the region. Fourth, investments must be made towards employment for Kashmiri youth. India
and Pakistan need to come up with a plan to invest in Kashmir’s industry, agriculture, and tourism; and make it a Heaven on Earth once again. Fifth, the role of the UN is to be defined in the context of an agreement among India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiri leaders and separatists. India and Pakistan should also demarcate the international boundary, with the help of the UN.

Ultimately, it is the people who make a land heaven. So, the aspiration of the Kashmiris towards peace and prosperity should be respected.

Akshat Dwivedi
IAS Faculty Member, Career Launcher

NPAs, Provisioning, and the Rest

By CL -

February 22, 2019

IDBI Bank continues to remain in deep NPA mess, as per the financial results for the quarter ended Sept’18. With provisions of about INR 10,000 crore towards NPA during the first half of this financial year, its total provisions have gone up to INR 33,000 crore — covering about 68% of expected loss (Provision Coverage Ratio). Yet, the banks’ core operations have sufficient strength; and acquisition of majority stake by LIC should give it the financial resources necessary to tide over this crisis.

Here is a brief discourse on its NPAs and other financials.

IDBI Bank is among the large public sector banks of India, with a total balance sheet size of INR 3.26 lakh crore at the end of the quarter ended Sept’18. The balance sheet has shrunk over the last six months — from INR 3.5 lakh crore after being put under PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) watch by the RBI. While the bank was among the efficient entities, the skeletons began to tumble with the imposition of stricter norms for recognition of NPAs by the RBI in 2015–16. NPA discourse centers on the amount of loan given, total amount of loan under default, amount of money set aside by the bank to compensate for this loss, and any amount from this loan portfolio which comes back to the bank (the last is important as a number of loan portfolios starts paying up if the economic conditions improve).

Of the total capital available with the bank, gross advances (or loans given) stand at INR 1.91 lakh crore in Sept’18 (rest of the money is invested in government securities or parked with the RBI). Out of this amount, as much as INR 61,000 crore have turned NPA, implying a gross NPA to advance ratio of as high as 31.8%.

This is an abnormally high figure; with any ratio above 10% being a cause of alarm. However, this does mean that there is no chance of this money coming back. If the borrower settles past dues, and starts paying regularly, the loan account becomes regular again. The defaults are further classified based on the period for which the money has been outstanding. Against these bad debts, banks have to make provisions, depending upon the period for which the loan has been unpaid. Provisioning is made from the bank’s operating profit; and if the profits are not sufficient, by reducing its equity capital. Sharp reduction in its equity capital, despite fund infusion by the government, is the reason the government finally decided to ask LIC to acquire the bank.

IDBI has made provision of about INR 10,000 crore in the first half of FY’19, INR 17,500 crore in FY’18 and INR 11,000 crore in FY’17 towards NPAs. The sharp escalation in the level of its bad debt is evident from the fact that more than 80% of its provisioning has been done in the last 2.5 years alone. Gross NPA during this period went up from INR 25,000 crore (FY’16) to INR 45,000 crore (FY’17); and stands at about INR 61,000 crore (Sept’18).

However, not all loan groups are defaulting on their loan obligations. The biggest culprit is the large-scale industries sector, whose bad debts stand at INR 47,000 crore against total advances of INR 89,000 crore. This translates to an NPA ratio of as high as 53%. Corporate advance for the banks is also high (at 55% of total advances) — lot higher than the banking sector average of about 45%. Indiscriminate lending to the corporate sector, which has turned into NPA, goes against the prudential norms; and have invited charges of mala fide lending practices.

While the high level of NPA remains a huge concern, there are some signs that things might be improving. First, fresh slippage has come down from 11.7% in March’18 to 2.7% now. Slippage refers to loan account that defaulted on their obligation during that specific period. Second, the bank’s recovery from defaulting accounts and loan accounts, which have started paying back, has increased from just about INR 8,000 crore in FY’17 to INR 15,000 crore in FY’18 (gross NPA figures are net of this amount). With increased recovery and improving economic conditions, the recovery rate might increase further going forward.

While the NPAs remain, the crisis has led the bank tighten its belt in other areas. Its cost of funds has come down substantially (from 6.5% to 5.6% in FY’18) with increase in savings deposits. It has also managed to reduce its operating expenses, which, together with lower cost of funds, helped increase its operating profit to INR 7,900 crore in FY’18 (an increase of as much as 70% over the previous year). However, operational gains seem to have dissipated during H1’FY19 due to lending restriction, which reduces the income while the costs remain largely fixed. Funds infusion by LIC and resumption of normal operations should help it come back to health.

Ashish Agrawal
Founder, India Business Analysis | IIT Roorkee, IIM-C alumnu

Identify Your Interests. Match Them with Your Career

By CL -

February 22, 2019

Today, parents and children alike feel confusion, bordering on depression, while finalizing which career to opt for. More often than not, a decision is taken based on the opinion of friends & neighbors, and under duress of peer & family pressure; while at times, it is dictated by the option that is currently enjoying a boom in the market.

Consequently, students end up in a situation, where they are either uncomfortable about the subject(s) they study; or, find it increasingly difficult in coping with the demands of their stream; or, lose interest altogether. Irrespective of the reason, they stop putting in their 100%; and slowly lose command over what they are studying.

The final result: not only do they not get good jobs, but the scope of further opportunities also dries up.

A relevant question that arises is: How do we select a career? Alternatively, which is the best way to select a career? The answer is, in fact, quite simple, but often we are not ready to devote the time, effort, and attention it entails.

To begin with, parents need to accept that every child is different; and is born with some or other unique set of skills, abilities, and capabilities. This is the first step in ensuring they do not take a wrong decision, for which their child pays penalty throughout his/her life by struggling in a job they do not like, which might lead to depression, or some other ill-effect.

So, while choosing which career to opt for:

Consult a career counselor/expert, who, through a personality test of the child will pinpoint his/her strengths, weakness, interest areas, and other relevant aspect that even the child himself/herself might be unaware of

Confer with a teacher the child is close to, who will provide an unbiased view about his/her capabilities. Keeping in mind, a teacher can easily identify the strong and weak points of each of his/her students, he/she can be the ideal person to act as a guide in taking this crucial decision.

Have family members, and even family friends, contribute in deciding a child’s career. However, chances are their views will be through rose-tinted glasses. The reason being, family members tend to be partial towards traditional careers, such as engineering & medical sciences that they consider safe & secure, while neglecting options like law, mass communication, fashion designing, management, and others.

Choosing a career is one of the most critical steps in a child’s life. Neither can it be imposed, based on what others are doing, nor can it be ascertained by what is currently in fashion. The key lies in identifying each child’s unique capabilities and interest areas; and then homing in on a career option that is in sync with his/her personality.

Riya Jawla MBA, M.A. (Economics)
Personality Development Trainer
Branch Head (Career Launcher, Meerut)

MBA + GMAT: The Best of Both Worlds

By CL -

February 22, 2019

Have you taken a shot in the dark and wonder if you’re limiting your potential by pursuing MBA alone? While graduating from one of the top B-Schools in the country is an admirable milestone, with thousands of students flooding the B-Schools every year, won’t that make you one more candidate in a long queue?

What exactly is the key to standing out from the rest of many brilliant MBA graduates? It’s simple. Add GMAT to your credentials!

Did you know that GMAT percentile of 96–97 will allow you to knock the doors of prestigious Business Schools like Harvard, Stanford, etc.? Or that the median and average annual base compensation offered to the management graduates from these institutes is an astounding $140,000 or more?

An MBA degree colored with GMAT is clearly a heavenly reward, and we want to have that!
Join Career Launcher’s MBA Plus program! Let’s win together!

Bonomi Murumi
Executive Marketing, Career Launcher

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A forward looking Campus Development Center is the need of the hour:

1. Meet your ambitions at the click of a button with Aspiration AI:

2. Best prepare for the most sought-after Corporate jobs:

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