IIM Guwahati gains push for national importance status with new bill in Lok Sabha

A bill to include the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati in the schedule of the Indian Institutes of Management Act, thereby declaring it an institution of national importance, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the bill amid uproar by the opposition over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

According to the draft law, the central government, the Assam government, and representatives of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) signed a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) for the all-round development of the state.

Under the MoS, several developmental projects are to be implemented by the Union government through a Special Development Package (SDP). Establishing an IIM at Guwahati as an institution of national importance is one of the key projects under this package.

At present, 21 IIMs are recognised as institutions of national importance, each listed in the Schedule to the IIM Act. The Assam government has requested the establishment of an IIM in the state, highlighting its geographical significance and developmental needs.

“Assam is one of the very few states with more than three crore population which does not have an IIM,” the bill stated.