From Friday, July 4, the new branch of the Indian Institute of Management became operational following its inauguration by the Meghalaya Chief Minister, Donkupar Roy. This happens to be the seventh branch of India’s top business school IIMs, apart from the six others located at Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kozhikode and Indore. The Shillong branch of the IIM has been named as the Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) and it has been created to upgrade the educational infrastructure of the north-east region.  

‘It has been a long-standing demand of the people in the region. Finally, their dream will come true,’ the Meghalaya CM stated. This year’s flagship programme of the Shillong IIM, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) will have 60 students who gave the Common Admission Test (CAT) in 2007. The number of seats will be expanded to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. A 120 acre plot has been provided by the Meghalaya government absolutely free for the Shillong IIM.