Seventh IIM foundation stone to be laid at Shillong

Slug: IIM

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 30

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Arjun Singh will lay the foundation stone of the seventh Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of the country in Shillong on December 1.
This new IIM will be called Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RG-IIM) and will aim towards imparting quality management education in the North East. It will be the seventh IIM in the country, the other six being at Ahmedabad, Banglore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.
RG-IIM will start admitting students from 2008-2009 academic session with an annual student intake of 60 in the first year, which will be subsequently increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. RG-IIM will offer Post-graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), Fellowship Programme in Management (FPM) and Management Development Programmes (MDPs). Besides these RG-IIM also plans to focus on courses like tourism and hospitality management, Management of tele-services and telemedicine, Management of information systems and technology, Subjects of local relevance such as tourism, horticulture and hydel power.
The Government of Meghalaya has provided land of about 120 acres, free of cost for permanent campus of RGIIM at Shillong. Till the permanent campus is constructed, the Institute will function in the temporary accommodation at Mayurbhanj Palace, which has been renovated by the State Government for the purpose.
Rathindra Nath Datta, Chairman of Pricewaterhouse Cooper India, has been appointed the Chairman of the Board of Governors of RG-IIM, Shillong. While the Director is yet to be appointed, Ashok Kumar Dutta, the current director of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata is tipped to be the first Director of RG-IIM, Shillong. The mission of RG-IIM will be to create an institution of excellence having a national character while also considering the needs and aspirations of the people of the region.The faculty of RG-IIM will be at per with the other six IIMs in the country. The central government feels that RG-IIM will be yet another milestone in the development of higher and technical education in the region. And by providing impetus to the progress of this beautiful yet backward region of North East, it would help the government to take a step forward towards fulfilling one of its prime agenda of promoting a balanced development in the country.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com