New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) Instead of taking it as a brain drain, the Government sees the movement of trained personnel to foreign countries as a positive development.

''In the present scenario of globalisation and liberalisation, the movement of technical personnel across the national boundaries is not only inevitable, but in many cases could give positive benefits to the country,'' Minister of State for Human Resource Develpment D Purandeswari told the Rajya Sabha today in a written reply.

She was asked whether the Government was aware that despite spending Rs 10 lakh per student in IITs and IIMs, only less than five per cent end up doing what they were best trained to do, with many of them heading westward.

The Minister said the Government maintained no record of the number of students leaving the country and getting jobs abroad, but felt that Indian students going abroad had its own benefits.

Replying to another part of the question, she said the Government proposed to establish three new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Twenty Indian Institutes of Information Technology(IITs) under-public Private-Partnership, and six national Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education Research(NIPER) during the 11th Five year Plan.

Moreover, finishing schools to impart IT and soft skills to engineering graduates were going to be started on a pilot basis in seven National Institutes of Technology(NITs) to enhance their employability, she said.

UNI