Cabinet nod for IIM in Jammu, out-campus in Kashmir

New Delhi, Oct 13: Jammu will have the country's 20th Indian Institute of Management (IIM) with the academic session starting this year while an out-campus will be set up in Kashmir later, as Union Cabinet today approved the decision under the Prime Minister's development package for the state.

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, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here after a Cabinet meeting.

NIT-Srinagar was hit by student unrest following a clash between local and outstation students in April this year.

The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the establishment and operationalisation of IIM at Jammu in a temporary campus at Old Government College of Engineering and Technology from the Academic Year 2016-17.

The project will involve a cost of Rs 61.90 crore in temporary campus for the initial four years from 2016 to 2020.

[IIM to Jammu region, a 'blatant partisan politics': Omar Abdullah]

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 student strength of 120 in the fourth year.

"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," Javadekar said.

"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.

According to an official statement, issued after the Cabinet meeting, "Steps would also be taken up for setting up (IIM) campus at Jammu and an out-campus in Kashmir region.

"The detailed project report for the permanent campuses is under preparation and thereafter the process for setting up of the campuses would start." 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 to be constituted by the central government which will administer the institute and would be responsible for establishment and operationalisation of the institute.

"This is a part of Prime Minister's development package for Jammu and Kashmir. The institute, coupled with opening of IIT at Jammu, modernisation of NIT Srinagar and opening of two new AIIMS institutions, one each in Kashmir region and Jammu region, would go a long way in meeting the requirement of high quality living and education in the state," the statement 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, Udaipur. Another six IIMs which have been started in 2015 are located at Amritsar, Sirmaur, Nagpur, Bodhgaya, Sambalpur and Vishakhapatnam.

Javadekar 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.

PTI