According to Rinshul Chandra, Vice-president on the placement committee at IIT-Kharagpur, who spoke to TOI, “The number of firms offering stock options, though about 10% of the total, has increased over the years. It is a lot more this year as compared to last year."IIT-Kgp placed 188 students on day one and many of them are today shareholders. The reasons for the change are many: start-up companies wanting to spruce up their offer, a bad economy that is forcing the way hiring is done and organizations wanting to cut down attrition.”

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“Stock options are actually ‘golden handcuffs’,” said Ravi Sinha, former placement chairman at IIT-Kgp. The major trend that pushed more employers to offer stock options is the competition. "IITs have been able to attract globally leading companies and those in the highly competitive sector offer stocks to attract talent," he said. While some others believe that the stock options motivate young recruits and give them a sense of responsibility, rather than the ‘retaining’ factor.

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