[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi  gave its approval for setting up India Institute of Management (IIM) in Visakhapatnam. This one of six IIMs the cabinet cleared today to be set up in various states.

Setting up an IIM in Vizag was the commitment made by the union government at the time of  reorganisation of the State of Andhra Pradesh into the two States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.  Today’s decision is  in pursuance of the Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Act, 2014.

The remaining five are Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha) and Amritsar (Punjab). These IIMs will begin functioning from assigned temporary campuses and shift to their permanent sites after construction of their campuses.

It is intended that these six new IIMs will commence their first academic session from 2015-16. Each Institute will start with an intake of 140 students in the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) courses. It is expected that the annual intake will increase to reach a level of 560 students each year by the end of seven years. The PGP in Management would be the flagship programme of these institutions. Admission to the PGP will be through the open and competitive Common Admission Test (CAT) being conducted by the IIMs. The Institutes would train young graduates to undertake management responsibilities and carry out research and consultancy in the field of management and allied areas. Their programmes will provide the country, potential leaders in diverse fields of endeavour and enterprise.

(jnr)