IIM Assam to be set up near Guwahati with Rs 1000 Crore Investment; Is this start of Fourth Generation of IIMs?

India is going to have its 22nd IIM soon! A completely new IIM is being planned in Assam near Guwahati. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already inspected the site for IIM Assam in Kamrup district in Guwahati. IIM Assam shall be mentored by IIM Ahmedabad and it is expected it will start operating in 2024 from a temporary campus till its permanent campus is constructed. A formal announcement from the Ministry of Education is expected soon.

So far there are 21 IIMs in India. The last wave of establishment of new IIMs was in 2015-16, when seven new third-generation IIMs were established. Of course, NITIE was converted into IIM Mumbai in 2023. Is IIM Assam a precursor to the fourth-generation of IIMs?

According to a PTI report dated June 11, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inspected the site for IIM Assam in Kamrup district in Guwahati. This site near Guwahati will be among the select few cities to house premier educational institutions such as IIM, IIT, AIIMS, and the National Law University. Sarma told the media that he hoped the new institute, will start functioning soon from a temporary campus till the new campus comes up. The state government has offered land and logistical support for the new IIM, which will come up on a plot of 76.83 hectares.

In the media interaction, Chief Minister Sarma also said that an investment of approximately Rs. 1,000 crores is expected from the Centre to develop the IIM in Assam. 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, Sarma said.

IIM Assam - More Than 15 Years in Making
Chief Minister Sarma recalled that when the Manmohan Singh-led govt was in power, an IIM was approved for the northeast. Despite Assams efforts to secure it, the IIM eventually went to Shillong due to the efforts of the then development of northeastern region minister P R Kyndiah, who hailed from Meghalaya.

Initially, the Union govt was reluctant to grant another IIM to the northeast, Sarma admitted. We tried to convince the Centre that the northeast is a union of eight states but considering Assams geography and (bigger) population, Assam should not be compared on a par with other northeastern states. We deserve a different kind of treatment, Sarma said. He said towards the end of the previous NDA governments term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan agreed to establish an IIM in Assam.

IIM Assam to be mentored by IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Ahmedabad, as the mentor institute, has been charged with the task of preparing a detailed project report, in consultation with the secretary of the Assam Higher Education Department which will be submitted to the Union Education Ministry for further action. A formal announcement from the Ministry of Education is expected soon.
Earlier IIM Ahmedabad had mentored the third generation IIM Nagpur.

IIM Assam to be 22nd IIM
So far there are three generations of IIMs. While the first six IIMs took more than three decades to come up, there has been a planned expansion of IIMs since 2010 in two waves. Here is a list of 21 IIMs, by their year of establishment.

First Generation IIMs

Second Generation IIMs

Third Generation IIMs

Is IIM Assam a precursor to the fourth-generation of IIMs?
The big question that emanates from this announcement - is IIM Assam a precursor to the fourth-generation of IIMs?

Given the propensity of the Modi Government to establish new institutions, it is very much possible that the next few years may see the establishment of more IIMs in India. Should that happen, it will redefine the management education domain in India. It will be good news for student community as new IIMs will offer more seats. However, it will intensify the competition for private B-schools in India, who have been calling for level playing field.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on IIM Assam and Fourth Generation IIMs.