India loses two billion dollars a year in resources through the brain drain of 100,000 skilled computer professionals to the United States alone, according to a UN report released here Tuesday.
At a function to mark the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report 2001 in New Delhi, Indian IT Minister Pramod Mahajan reacted sharply to the findings.
"Indian institutes train people at a very small cost and then we end up losing highly qualified professionals to the US where the education is very expensive," Mahajan said at the function.
"A poor country like India is subsidising the US education system and economy," he added.
The UN report said many countries in Asia were experiencing a crippling brain drain of trained professionals who they had spent large amounts of money educating.
"For instance, 100,000 Indian professionals a year are expected to take visas recently issued by the United States -- an estimated resource loss for India of two billion dollars." -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
