Guwahati: A bill to include the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati in the schedule of the Indian Institutes of Management Act to make it an institution of national importance was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the legislation amid uproar in the House over the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The proposed law is linked to a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between the central government, the Assam government, and representatives of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), aimed at the comprehensive development of the northeastern state.
As part of the MoS, the Union government has pledged to roll out a series of developmental initiatives under a Special Development Package (SDP). Establishing IIM Guwahati as an institution of national importance has been listed as one of the key projects under this package.
Currently, there are 21 IIMs across the country that enjoy the status of institutions of national importance, each of which is specified in the Schedule to the IIM Act.
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The Assam government has requested for establishment of an IIM in the state, keeping in view the geographical location of the state and its all-round development.
“Assam is one of the very few states with more than three crore population which does not have an IIM,” the bill noted.
