*IIM Jammu Society to be formed with BoGs
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 13: After two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), five Government Medical Colleges and IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), the Union Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved establishment of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jammu from the current academic year of 2016-17.
The IIM for Jammu was approved in a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Narendra Modi this morning in New Delhi.
An official handout issued to the Excelsior by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the Government of India would take steps for setting up an out-campus of the IIM in Kashmir region too.
“The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved the establishment and operationalisation of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Jammu in a transit/temporary campus at Old Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) from the current academic year of 2016-17,” official sources said, adding that the IIM would be run from this temporary campus for initial four years during which steps would be taken for setting up of IIM campus at Jammu and an out-campus in Kashmir.
The project will involve a cost of Rs 61.9 crore in temporary campus for initial four years from 2016 to 2020.
This is the only 20th IIM in the country, sources pointed out.
A provision of Rs 1000 crore has been kept for the IIM in Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) worth Rs 80,000 crore, which was announced by Narendra Modi in November last year at Srinagar. The funds would start flowing in initially for running the IIM from temporary campus, followed by construction of its own campus in Jammu and out-campus in Kashmir apart from generating other facilities.
“The student strength intake for this year in the Post Graduate Diploma Programme (PGDP) in Management is 54, which will progressively go up to a cumulative strength of 120 in the fourth year. This period of four years will be utilized for setting up campus at Jammu and an out-campus at Kashmir. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for permanent campuses is under preparation and thereafter the process for setting up of the campuses would start,” sources said.
Later, the PMO tweeted, “The IIM, coupled with IIT at Jammu, modernization of NIT Srinagar & opening of 2 new AIIMS, one each in Kashmir region & Jammu region would go a long way in meeting the requirement of high quality living and education in Jammu & Kashmir.”
Reacting to the Union Cabinet decision to set up IIM at Jammu, Union Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, in a tweet from Belgrade (Republic of Serbia), where he is on official 3-day visit, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar, for sanctioning IIM for Jammu.
“India’s 20th IIM to come up in Jammu. Thanks PM Narendra Modi Ji. Thanks HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar Ji. AIIMS, IIT and now IIM Jammu,” he tweeted.
Sources said the approval of IIM is a part of Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir.
Also, the modernisation of infrastructure in NIT-Srinagar campus will now begin as funding of Rs 100 crore has been approved for the purpose besides a Rs 50-crore project for seven hostels for girl students- three in Jammu region, three in the Valley and one in Leh, sources said.
The Cabinet approved formation of an IIM Jammu Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
IIM Jammu will be run and managed by the Society with a Board of Governors (BoGs) to be constituted by the Central Government which will administer the institute and would be responsible for establishment and operationalisation of the institute.
“The IIM coupled with opening of IIT at Jammu, modernization of NIT Srinagar and opening of two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one each in Kashmir and Jammu regions, would go a long way in meeting the requirement of high quality living and education in Jammu and Kashmir,” sources said.
They pointed out that it was only during about two and half month rule of Narendra Modi Government that Jammu and Kashmir has got two AIIMS, five near Government Medical Colleges (three in Jammu and two in Kashmir) and IIT and IIM in Jammu apart from several National Highway and major roads including Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
It was on August 25 this year that Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) through Director IIM Lucknow had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Commissioner/Secretary, Higher Education Department in J&K at Srinagar for establishment of IIM at Jammu at one of the desired places selected by the State Government and also immediately take up work for establishing transit campus at few designated places in Jammu.
The MoU was signed by Dr Ajit Prasad, Director IIM Lucknow and Dr Asghar Samoon, Commissioner/ Secretary, Higher Education at Civil Secretariat Srinagar.
According to the MoU, IIM Lucknow will be the Mentor Institute for IIM Jammu acting through its Director, Department of Higher Education, MHRD.
MHRD announced the setting up of IIM at Jammu in 2015 and it had desired the State Government to provide 200 acres of land at a suitable location free of cost and free from all encumbrances for the purpose. Of the proposed sites, MHRD has intimated that if the State Government provides an approach road then village Raika would be preferable site for IIM Jammu otherwise Nagrota is the recommended site.
According to MoU for establishing the transit campus for IIM Jammu, Higher Education Department has requested Registrar, University of Jammu to vacate sheds near the entrance gate to hand over the same to IIM Jammu and vacant Administrative block of Government College of Engineering at Old University Campus Jammu which has also been provided to IIM Jammu.
IIM Lucknow will build classrooms, mess, hostel facility etc at these places after demolition of old structure and repair/alteration of buildings wherever necessary.
“In around 67 years of independence, 13 IIMs were set up while 7 new IIMs have been set up in the past two years only,” he said.
At present, there are 19 IIMs. Out of these, 13 are located at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, Shillong, Ranchi, Raipur, Rohtak, Kashipur, Trichy and Udaipur. Another six IIMs which have been started in 2015 are located at Amritsar, Sirmaur, Nagpur, Bodhgaya, Sambalpur and Vishakhapatnam.
Meanwhile, welcoming the Union Cabinet decision, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh said the BJP has fulfilled yet another commitment made to people of the State by the Government.
“The AIIMS, IIT, Cluster University for Jammu and now IIM will make Jammu a hub of education,” Dr Singh said lauding the decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Dr Singh said the State Government would put in its best efforts to make AIIMS at Jammu and Kashmir regions, five Medical Colleges in the State and IIT and IIM functional as early as possible.
PTI adds from New Delhi: “I am happy that the 20th IIM has been approved by the Cabinet today. We have already started the academic session because the announcement for its operationalisation from 2016-17 session was made in the budget itself,” Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar said.
He thanked the Jammu and Kashmir Government for providing land for the IIT and IIM campuses in the State.
“Also there has been successful implementation of Prime Minister scholarships from this year. The supernumerary seats for J & K students in various colleges across the country have also been increased.
“We are thankful to State Government that they are providing land for both IIT and IIM and the construction will start soon,” he said.
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