Tia, 32, of Bangalore, works remotely every day, going to work for eight hours as a software engineer for an information technology (IT) company. When her one workday is over, she continues to log on to a second career in IT.

She says, "We are good at creating animations, and are working on a project from which we make almost as much money as our main job and work shorter hours, which also helps to hone our skills and increase our income stream."

Selling her skills to another employer while having a full-time job. She doesn't see anything wrong with that; her company requires her to work about 40 hours a week, and as long as she does so honestly, she sees no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to work a side job.

However, not everyone is so accustomed to it. Recently, Indian technology consulting firm Wipro dismissed 300 employees who were working as competitors in second careers, and the company's chairman, Premji, strongly criticized the tech industry's part-time work practices as "outright deception." While the phenomenon exists in other countries as well, it has sparked fierce controversy in India, especially in the tech industry.

Gopalakrishnan, an employment law expert in Bangalore, said that while moonlighting is not new in India, it has become more ubiquitous in the wake of the new crown pneumonia epidemic as employees began working remotely. At the same time, employers reduced or loosened supervision, providing more time and network bandwidth for employees to take on another job.

Wipro's termination move brings more noise to the topic: Some companies are sternly warning employees not to work for other businesses or trying to increase the supervision of employees. But other business leaders are taking a lenient line, claiming that young employees are simply trying to get ahead.

What is clear is that as the tech industry opens up more revenue-raising ways for ambitious young employees to sell their skills, companies need to consider how to regulate their employees' behavior in a way that is understandable to both sides.

Part-time work is an open secret in the Indian tech industry. The survey found that nearly 65 percent of IT employees said they or someone they know works part-time or seeks part-time opportunities while working from home. IT companies with large workforces struggle to create a sense of ownership and belonging among their workers.

Improved economic conditions often require compensation from more than one job. Bangalore, the "IT capital" of India, offers relatively high salaries, but so does the cost of living. In addition to increasing income, many employees want to improve their skills or pursue their passions.

28-year-old Rajan is a full-time employee of a major local software company, but he also has his own YouTube channel and earns money through advertising. He says, "The new crown pneumonia outbreak made us realize that people have to be proactive and have savings available to cushion them."

Saluga, president of NITES, an IT employee organization, noted that several Indian tech moguls started their businesses as side projects.

Rajiv Chandrasekhar, India's minister of state for electronics and information technology, also came forward, noting that young employees are eager to cash in on their skills and build economic stability.