And they said "Quotas" were abolished in India...

General knowledge and common hearsay makes us believe that the dreaded Quota System has been abolished in India. I urge you to re-think. Well, to make things easier here is a hint: Supposedly, the best B-School in India does not believe in a "Free Market" policy. Surprised? Read On.

I just got to know an interesting policy of Indian School of Business or ISB, Hyderabad. This policy is concerning the "favors" granted to "The Firm" - McKinsey and Co. As surprising as it may seem - a student can not be offered an employment offer by any other company unless McKinsey completes it round of placement on Day Zero and declares its result. Now, what does that mean? That means that McKiney wants all ISB students to be "available" when they come to campus for recruitment.

Now picture this, I am a student (hypothetical) who does not want to go into McKinsey or into Consulting. Why should I wait till it completes its recruitment process? Isn't there something terribly wrong . Agreed, McKinsey was behind creating this great school but then should it be granted such special favors? I think this is totally against the Free Market philosophy. I was surprised to know that a company as respected as McKinsey is engaging is such acts. In fact, even without this "quota" students would be attracted to this company and it would be one of the first choices for students who are interested in making a career in the "exciting" field of consulting. Having such policies only takes the sheen away not only from ISB but also from McKinsey itself.

I can go on and on analyzing this but I would end my post as I believe I have provided enough fodder for the readers to think on their own whether the quota system which plagued India a few decades ago has really been abolished?