Just a few years after establishing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Assam which also houses the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will now soon establish a new Indian Institute of Management (IIM) near Guwahati.
With this significant development, Guwahati became the second city in India after Jammu to have all 3 prestigious institutions: IIT, IIM, and AIIMS.
Notably, the IIM set to be built at Marabhita in Palasbari near Guwahati is the second IIM in the Northeast. Until now, the only IIM in the Northeast is in Shillong, Meghalaya.
The addition of these institutions is expected to drive innovation, boost the economy, and provide unparalleled opportunities for students and researchers.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday visited the site of the second IIM.
CM Sarma stated that the Center is likely to sanction an investment of Rs 1,000 crores for the IIM.
He also revealed the state Government’s proposal to establish a School of Planning and Architecture in the same location during his visit.
“Like IIT and AIIMS, IIM is also a national-level educational institute. If a state has IIM, IIT, and AIIMS, the circle of education or all India-level institutions can be considered complete,” said CM Sarma.
He stated that an IIM for the Northeast was sanctioned during the Manmohan Singh-led government’s tenure. Even though Assam tried to secure it, P R Kyndiah, the then-minister of the Northeastern region who was from Meghalaya succeeded in getting the IIM in Shillong.
CM Sarma said that the demand for a second IIM in the Northeast, this time in Assam, had been longstanding, backed by the state Government and organisations like the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
“The Centre was first hesitant to approve the second IIM in Northeast. We tried to convince the Centre that the Northeast is a union of eight states but considering Assam’s geography and (bigger) population, Assam should not be compared on a par with other northeastern states. We deserve a different kind of treatment. Later, the centre agreed for the second IIM, ” he added.
