IIMs seek Govt nod to release first selection list

Bangalore, Apr 12: All the six Indian Institutes of Management have collectively given an alternate date to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry for admissions and sought permission to release the first selection list based on the number of admissions made last year, following the Ministry directing the IIMs to hold despatch of acceptance letters.

Informing this to mediapersons here today, IIM Bangalore Director Prakash G Apte said the selection process might go haywire following the Ministry's directive in the wake of the Supreme Court staying the 27 per cent OBC quota in higher educational institutions. The acceptance letters must be despatched by April 21.

''The whole calendar is likely to be upset. The students will also suffer if there is a delay...they may stand to lose Rs two to ten lakh if the selection process is not completed early as they may seek admission elsewhere and then join the IIMs,'' he rued, adding that there had been no reply to the letter yet.

The IIMB had admitted 240 students last year and had decided to increase the intake to 270, which included 19 OBC quota candidates.

It would implement the OBC quota in three phases, seven per cent in the coming academic year and ten per cent each in the next two years.

Mr Apte said courses should start on June 30 or on the first Monday of June and a preparatory programme for candidates not used to computer-based learning would be started.

''As many as 1,080 people were called for interview and they had completed the process of selecting 270 candidates. We have the list ready. We are only waiting for the green signal from the HRD Ministry,'' he said.

Regarding the OBC quota, he said no discussion or consultative process was held between the Government and the IIMs on OBC quota until the Oversight Committee, headed by Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman M Veerappa Moily, came out with the report.

UNI