Close to Dashrathpuri metro station in Delhi, the air is usually filled with the aroma of sizzling spices. The street is filled with roadside food vendors selling different kinds of cuisines. From Bihari litti chokha to Rajasthani dal baati, Punjabi chaats, and even Chinese momos, everything is cooked live and served hot.

Of course, a few things are pre-cooked. For instance, noodles are pre-boiled, or veggies are chopped off beforehand to serve the customers quickly. Amongst these street vendors, there is one that stands out — the "BBA burger wala", a budding young entrepreneur making a living by selling burgers.
A few kilometres away in Dwarka, there is another outlet set up by a group of IIT graduates specialising in South Indian food. Unlike other outlets, their dosas and other delicacies are cooked in Desi Ghee, spiced with gunpowder and aromatic sambhar, as highlighted in their brochure.

True to their IIT background, they have integrated technology into their business—a WhatsApp chatbot allows customers to place and track orders seamlessly. Their restaurant has gained immense popularity in a short time.
These are not isolated cases. If one looks up the Internet, one will find many such food outlets like MBA Burger Wala, MBA Chai Point, IIT Chai Wala and so on. Of course, several IITians and MBA holders have actually made it big in the food industry, acquiring considerable market size and earning hundreds of crores of rupees annually. And this trend is picking up much faster than anyone could imagine.
Before anyone accuses this writer of being biased or judgmental, let me admit there is nothing wrong if an IITian or an MBA graduate sets up such a business or a food stall. Yet, the trend is worrying if one looks at the recent data reported in the '2025-26 Demands for Grants of the Department of Higher Education' report submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports.
Ask any young science (non-medical) student about his/her dream career. Most likely, the answer would be getting into an IIT of his/her choice. These institutions come with the advantage of subsidised fees, as compared to other private engineering colleges of repute, good quality education, placement facilities and a bright future, besides the prestige associated with it.

Of course, not everyone is able to clear the entrance exams, which are known to have a great level of complexity to ensure only bright young minds, ready to take on the challenges, get enrolled.
However, things seem to have changed a lot lately. The report placed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by Digvijay Singh shows that there has been an unusual decline with over 10 per cent drop in placements across all 23 IITs between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Some might say that many students aim to start their own ventures or even opt for higher studies, resulting in a decline in placements. Had that been the case, there would have been a dip in placement registrations. In stark contrast, more students opted to get a job placement across all IITs.
Reports suggest that 38 per cent of the students across 23 campuses remained unplaced during the last financial year. Of 21,500 students who registered for placements, only 13,410 could secure a job, whether the old or the new IITs. In other words, something is not right with the ecosystem.
The crisis is not just limited to IITs. IIMs, too, are witnessing a sharp decline in placements. Around 31 per cent of students at IIMs remained unemployed during the same period. This trend shatters the long-held belief that a degree from a premier institution guarantees success.
If one looks at data over the last few years, it is evident that we are producing more highly educated youth than ever before. Yet, a significant portion of them remain unemployed. From IIT graduates to MBA holders, students struggle to find meaningful employment despite their qualifications.

This paradox—where education levels rise, but job prospects decline—signals a deep flaw in our policies. The government might have increased the budget for higher education compared to the last budget, but it failed to address the root cause of the employability crisis.
One of the biggest factors inducing this crisis is the outdated education system that fails to align with industry needs. While the global economy is evolving with artificial intelligence, automation, and data science, our universities and institutions continue to teach outdated curricula that lack relevance. Employers today demand experience and practical skills, yet most graduates are ill-equipped due to the theoretical focus of their education.
Every year, 1.5 million engineering students graduate, expecting placements and attractive pay packages. However, only 20 per cent are deemed employable in core engineering roles, forcing them to opt for livelihoods that do not align with their educational qualifications.
Also, those who have received job offers received lesser pay packages than in previous years. The median annual salary for IIT graduates has decreased to 15–16 lakh from 18–20 lakh rupees during the last year, with a dip in both the highest and the lowest package. In fact, the lowest package dipped to as low as 4 lakhs, which is certainly not worth the kind of effort a student makes to get into IIT and then finally clear the degree.
On average, a student spends 8 to 10 lakh per annum to complete the course. In such a scenario, it will take several years to recover the kind of money a student invests in getting such degrees. This is the case for students with access to higher education and facilities. Then, there are those who have little to no access. That's why our gross enrolment ratio for higher education stands at only 28 per cent, reducing the chances of the less privileged for better opportunities and livelihood.
An Indian graduate earns six times more than someone with only a secondary education, yet our system creates structural barriers that prevent millions from reaching this level. Ironically, even those who do make it through face bleak employment prospects. The increasing privatisation of higher education has pushed students toward expensive private colleges, drastically raising education costs.
As of January 2025, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has accredited around 40 per cent of all colleges. Out of the accredited institutions, only 20 per cent received an A grade! The situation is slightly better for universities, where 55 per cent hold an 'A' grade. This indicates a massive quality gap in India's higher education sector. How can we expect our youth to have a better life if this is the case?
The 2025-26 report by the Parliamentary Committee highlights another crucial issue: the inefficiency of India's university system. Most colleges are affiliated with larger universities, which are responsible for setting curricula, conducting exams, and awarding degrees. However, these universities oversee hundreds of affiliated colleges, making enforcing minimum standards for teaching, curriculum updates, or infrastructure impossible.

In other words, there is no guarantee that an affiliated college will be able to provide good quality education, putting the future of our youth at stake. With large-scale unemployment among graduates, many students —unable to find jobs that match their qualifications — are forced into alternative livelihoods like working in quick-commerce delivery or setting up small businesses. This is why we see IITians and MBAs running food stalls, not necessarily out of passion but because the job market has failed them.
If these issues are not addressed, we will continue to see "IIT Chaiwalas" and "MBA Burger Walas" multiplying—not as success stories but as symbols of a broken education-employment system. While the government intends to achieve at least 50 per cent more enrolment in higher education courses by 2037, unless it prioritises employability over mere degree production, India's youth will continue to be underemployed, disillusioned, and forced into careers far removed from their academic training.

The vision of a Viksit Bharat cannot be achieved unless we can ensure that our brightest minds are not just highly educated but also meaningfully employed.