Though the institute made public the details of summer internship of 253 students from the 2006-08 batch on Tuesday, it refused to part with the stipend figures. 

"It's a collective decision. We have discussed the issue with students, dean and the director and everybody has agreed on this. We are an academic institute and not a placement agency,"Sourav Mukherjee, chairperson (placements), IIM-B, 

In some cases the institute has even stopped collecting the stipend package companies offer to students. 

"Summer internship is an academic activity which is mandatory for all students. We are willing to discuss about the content of work students will be doing during the internship but we will not disclose any stipend figures,"he added. 

He also admitted that most IIMs have failed to maintain the confidentiality clause. "All companies impose a confidentiality clause saying that salaries offered by them should not be made public. 

That is being violated. Disclosing salaries put undue pressure on students and we do not want that,"he added. IIM-B's decision comes in the wake of a Times of India report on March 20 which highlighted the apprehensions of two IIM-B grads — Gaurav Agarwal and Venkatesh Shankararaman who bagged the highest salary offer — in making public the salary figures during placements. 

"Salary details, especially when they are above normal compensation levels, tend to catch the attention of unscrupulous elements and could cause immense physical as well as psychological distress for the persons involved. It has also caused a lot of personal problems for us. Parents of the students were inundated with calls after their salaries were made public. We strongly feel details like salaries, bonuses and other compensation-related figures are very personal and should never be discussed in public,"the duo had told IIM-B director Prakash Apte. 

Unlike IIM-B, some IIMs have proudly discussed the stipend offered during the recent summer placements.An IIM-C student has been offered a record stipend of Rs 10 lakh approx ($22,000) last week.

LUCKNOW: If you thought last year was the best with over 10,000 people being part of the fun and excitement and of course loads of prizes wait till you see the colour of the city change this year. INDEX 2006, the annual marketing fair organised by students of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, (IIM-L) promises to be more colourful than ever. 

The two-day fair will be held at Nehru Bal Vatika, Aliganj, November 25-26. Index is a disguised research fair where students create a fun filled atmosphere and seek feedback from consumers about products by engaging them in games. While every participant gets loads of gifts, students get data on which they perform research for companies. There is something for the whole family in the fair. Over 350 students of IIM-L are working overnight for the last two months to make the event a success. They will be present round-the-clock at the venue for two days supervising, organising and coordinating the multitude of events.