The brain drain is the problem of poor and developing countries losing their intellectual, expert and qualified professional brains to the rich countries. The rich and advanced countries offer attractive salaries, better quality life and excellent working conditions to the talented emigrants. The irony is that poor countries spend their precious resources on educating them and rich reap the benefits of their talents. The bulk of this deserter group is made up of highly qualified scientists, engineers, doctors, economists, management and I.T. professionals. This outflow continues. India is the greatest loser.
India has been losing brains now for almost more than a century. Health services of several western cities and nations are being manned by Indian doctors. American nuclear scientific force consists of 40% Indian scientists. Similar is the case in other fields. With a great ambition independent India had setup medical, engineering, technological and business management institutions to create a large work force for nation’s progress.
Every year thousands of trained and qualified youngmen come out of these institutions and disappear. They are poached by developed countries. Offers start coming even before the students of merit leave the institutions.
In the last centuries European countries also faced brain drain problem. Their talent went to U.S.A. because of better opportunities there and wars in Europe. But their problem was not as grave as that of India. Some of the countries adopted various methods to check it. Many countries would not allow their talent to migrate while others gave their scientists elite privileges.
But India’s problem is vast, different and complex. The qualified professionals have some valid reasons for going abroad. System is thoroughly corrupt. Here bureaucracy is entrenched everywhere. Selection of elite scientific cadre will be an impossible task even if attempted. Nepotism, favouritism, bribing, manipulation and scams followed by litigation will destroy the very purpose.
At every level the institutions are plagued by groupism, internal politics, victimization, sycophancy, procrastination and bureaucratic weanlings. It makes the survival of a honest researcher very difficult.Then, there is question of facilities, laboratories and equipment. Our cash strapped institutions can’t afford ultra-modern labs and their maintenance. Thus, research work suffers. The standard of general education in our universities is also going down. The general education is a must to develop total personality and showcase one’s professional talent. Our universities have become hot beds of politics, factional combats, strikes, agitations, conflict and confrontation. The real education takes back seat.
It is no wonder that the serious students head abroad is search of academic atmosphere, better facilities, nice working conditions and good opportunities of employment. Our scientists and engineers have done good work and achieved a lot in foreign lands. Many of them even won Nobel Prizes. Many of our talented professionals returned to serve the country but went back repelled by bureaucratic horrors of India. They found that in our system merit and a person’s solid talent gets little recognition. Here only sycophants and those who know how to pull strings are valued most.
Today our country is on the threshold of becoming a major economic and technological power. We need all the technical and professional force we are creating. To stop brain drain we must create better working conditions and special high salary purses and privileges for genuinely merited. Bureaucracy needs to be reigned in and cobwebs removed. Corruption, nepotism, communalism, casteism, favouritism, departmental politics, manipulation and sycophancy must be curbed to minimal level.
It is not the job of government alone because these ills are products of our own individual and social mindset. Our society reflects it in social evils and disorders. The government must reform its policies and the rest of us should reform our own mindset and conduct. Only then we can improve things in our social life and work places.
