The Centre has approved the establishment of the Northeast’s second IIM in Assam’s Kamrup district.

The announcement was made on Sunday by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on X: “Sharing a BIG NEWS! Following our request in 2023, Hon PM Shri @narendramodi ji has given a spcl gift to the people of Assam by approving an Indian Institute of Management near Guwahati, making it among the few cities to house an IIT, AIIMS, Nat’l Law Univ & now IIM.” Guwahati also has an IIT.

Sarma had also uploaded a letter to the director of IIM Ahmedabad mentioning the approval of the proposed IIM by the education minister. The Northeast’s first IIM was set up in Shillong, Meghalaya, in 2007.

“This will be a game changer for Assam, making the state an education hub in eastern India and also help fulfil our economic aspirations...,” Sarma said in another post.

According to the letter from the education ministry to the IIM director, the state government had identified four plots to be offered to the proposed IIM free of cost or encumbrance. A site selection committee of the Centre had finalised the plot measuring over 574 bighas at Marabhita in Kamrup district, about 40km from Guwahati.

The letter also stated that IIM Ahmedabad will be the mentor institute for the
new IIM.

“Over the last 18 months, we presented a strong case to the Hon’ble Education Minister Shri @dpradhanbjp Ji and the Education Ministry. Assam offered premier land and logistical support for this endeavour. Now IIM Ahmedabad will mentor the upcoming IIM in Guwahati,” read another post from Sarma where he had uploaded an April 19 letter to Modi pitching the need for an IIM in the state.

Sarma’s letter to Modi sought the latter’s intervention for setting up an IIM in the state on the ground that Assam “being a hub of diverse industrial sectors in the region, the lack of a premier management is acutely felt”.

He then flagged the Centre’s steps to promote development in the Northeast and the Act East Policy. "...Assam has huge potential to be the hub of modern management education on an international level, being close to the South Asian countries. An IIM will attract elite corporate organisations to invest in human talent and encourage investments ...," the letter said.

He had also written to education minister D. Pradhan on May 20, 2022, regarding the IIM in Assam.

“As evident from the letters, the swift transformation from idea to execution illustrates the power of a double-engine government,” Sarma said thanking both Modi and Pradhan for their cooperation.

Besides the premier institutes in Guwahati, Assam also has an NIT in Silchar in south Assam and the National Institute of Design campus in Jorhat in upper Assam.