NOTE 57 fleering Personnel Committee; instead of starting too many new colleges '.t recommended the establishment of only three more colleges (with an addition of 2562 seats) and the expansion of facilities in the existing 19 colleges. However, by the time the Second Plan ended, several new colleges originally not scheduled were started, and the admission capacity rose from the targeted figure of 10,000 to nearly 13,860. Yet the output rate at the end of the Plan was only 5700 and there was no increase in the overall figure. The total stock of engineers at the end of the Plan was about 58,000 graduates and 75,000 diploma-holders. Third Plan The Third Plan estimated the additional requirements of graduate engineers during the plan period as 51,000 and recommended that the annual intake capacity be increased from 13,860 to 19,140 by 1964-65.A Later, the Working Group on Technical Education and Vocational Training estimated the demand as 45,000 degree engineers besides about 2500 AMIE and 51,000 diploma holders.5 Just after the India-China conflict a series of hurried decisions were taken. It was said that technical education is an essential part of defence effort and therefore should be given the same priority and urgency in the national development as is being given to the conventional aspects of defence training and defence equipment.6 So in 1962 the targeted in-take to degree courses was increased from 19,140 to 25,000 by 1964-65. It is interesting to note that the 74th Report of the Estimates Committee forecast that in 1964-65, there would be a continued shortage of engineers despite the growth in training facilities. Table II gives the targets and achievements regarding the supply of graduate engineers for the first three plans. It can be seen that the achievements have never gone beyond targets—the supply was never more than projected demands. But in the ensuing two years unemployment among graduate engineers doubled, causing deep concern among engineering students all over the country. In 1967 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi began to give the Convocation Address at Roorkee University the students shouted in unison "Give us a job, not a degree" and walked out. As it turned out, the planners became so confuted that for the Fourth Five Year Plan which began after a three \ ear plan holiday, they refused to give any forecast of engineering manpower requirements. All that they had to say was: The existing facilities for engineering education should be sufficient to meet the Fourth and Fifth Plan requirements. No shortages are expected. The problem will be primarily of effective deployment and effective utilisation of persons trained.7 In other words, estimates for utilization of engineering man-power in 1965 will do for 1979, the end of the Fifth Plan ! The questions naturally arise^ where have our planners gone wrong ? How and why ?