Lok Sabha passes Bill to set up IIM in Guwahati
While moving the Bill, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that it would facilitate the creation of the second IIM in northeastern India, after IIM Shillong, noting that this was a long-standing demand of people in the region. A financial grant of ₹550 crore has been allocated for IIM Guwahati, he said.
The Bill, which aims to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017, was passed without discussion amid continuing Opposition protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Foreign demand for IIMs
The 21 IIMs currently operational in the country have achieved a brand status, said Mr. Pradhan, adding that there has been a demand to set up IIMs in other countries as well. The IIM Dubai campus will open next month, he added.
Explaining the context of the demand for IIM Guwahati, the Bill noted that the Union and Assam governments had signed a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with representatives of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), promising the comprehensive development of the State. The establishment of an IIM in Guwahati, as an institution of national importance, is part of the Special Development Package (SDP) provided to Assam, the Bill said.
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