Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Sambalpur through video-conferencing and asked students to make innovations, have integrity and inclusiveness as their new mantra to develop their managerial skills to work on the path of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self reliant India).

We had 13 IIMs till 2014, now we have 20. Such a big talent will accelerate the mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” Modi said.

Stating that the nation is working on permanent solutions to issues and has shunned the short term approach, Modi said, “During CoviD, India found permanent solutions for PPE kits, masks and ventilators. India had perpetually adopted short-term measures for problem-solving. Today, India has overcome that attitude and changed its approach to find long-term solutions.”

The Prime Minister pointed out how despite the Covid-19 pandemic India has produced new unicorns.

He cited the example of the launch of Jan Dhan Yojana and opening of 40 crore bank accounts. Modi also pointed out that the number of gas connections in the country had almost doubled from 14 crore to 28 crores under the Ujjwala scheme within a span of-six years from 2014.

The Prime Minister urged the students to work on new innovation to popularise the Sambalpuri textiles and the famous filigree works of Cuttack. “To turn local into global, IIM students need to find new and innovative solutions. I am certain that IIMs can act as a bridge between local products and global collaborations,” he said.

Stressing that the nation needs to go for new innovation to make the local as global, Modi said, “ New opportunities demand new managerial skills. The new technology has surpassed the geographical limitations. At this point, we need to work with the Time and even walk ahead of the time.”

Modi pointed out how the new campus of IIM is coming at a place where there is a medical university, engineering university, Sainik School, police training institute and other prominent education institutions in Sambalpur. The area is rich in tourism potential and known for its handicraft work. Pointing out that the entire area offers a practical lab for the students to experiment, Modi said, “The students’ ideas and managerial skills will come in great use to enhance the tourism potential of this area. There are so many local products such as Bandha Ikat ( a resist dyeing technique) in Sambalpur area. It should be the role of the IIM Sambalpur to make them local for vocal.”

Modi also made it clear that students’ skills should be connected to India’s growing aspirations and brand India.