IIMs to be declared as Institutions of National Importance

IIMs to be declared as Institutions of National Importance

Question: IIMs would be declared as Institutions of National Importance under …
(a) Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bill, 2017,
(b) The University Grants Commission Act, 1956
(c) The Central Universities Act, 2009
(d) National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment Act), 2014
Ans: (a)
Related facts:

  • On 24th January, 2017, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bill, 2017, under which the IIMs would be declared as Institutions of National Importance.
  • This will enable them to grant degrees to their students. Earlier they have been awarding Post Graduate Diploma and Fellow Programme in Management.
  • While these awards are treated as equivalent to MBAs and Ph.D, respectively, the equivalence is not universally acceptable, especially for the Fellow Programme.
  • Following are the salient features of the Bill:
  • IIMs can grant degrees to their students
  • The Bill provides for complete autonomy to the Institutions, combined with adequate accountability.
  • Management of these Institutions would be Board driven, with the Chairperson and Director of an Institution which will be selected by the Board.
  • A greater participation of experts and alumni in the Board is amongst other important features of the Bill.
  • Provision has also been made for inclusion of women and members from Scheduled Castes/Tribes in the Board.
  • The Bill also provides for periodic review of the performance of Institutions by independent agencies, and placing the results of the same on public domain.
  • The Annual Report of the Institutions will be placed in the Parliament and CAG will be auditing their accounts.
  • There is also a provision of Coordination Forum of IIMs as an advisory body.
  • Indian Institutes of Management are the country’s premier institutions imparting best quality education in management on globally benchmarked processes of education and training in management.
  • IIMs are recognized as world-class management Institutions and Centers of Excellence and have brought laurels to the country. All IIMs are separate autonomous bodies registered under the Societies Act.
  • An Institute of National Importance, in India is defined as one which serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel.
  • Only a chosen few institutes make it to this coveted list and are usually supported by the Government of India or even any other international institutes.

Reference:
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx
http://www.aicte-india.org/einp.php