All-party delegation meets PM over IIM at Sambalpur

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The clamour for setting up the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Odisha at Sambalpur reverberated in the national capital when a 12-member delegation representing western Odisha met prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today.

After a half-an-hour meeting with Modi, the delegates were optimistic about the prospects of an IIM in Sambalpur. The delegation comprised BJD MP from Sambalpur Nagendra Pradhan, State BJP leader Sarat Pujari, members of various public organisations from Western Odisha and academicians.

“Irrespective of any political affiliation, we met the prime minister today. The discussions were successful and we are hopeful that we will be able to bring an IIM to Sambalpur district,” said Pradhan after meeting Modi.

“There seems to be an in-principle consensus between the prime minister, HRD minister and Home minister over setting up the IIM in Sambalpur and we are optimistic about it,” said Pujari.

The State government on March 2 had recommended the HRD ministry to set up the premier B-school in Sambalpur. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had said in a letter that the State government is open to the idea of establishing IIM at Sambalpur if the site selection norms are relaxed by the Centre.

“I would like to inform you that while recommending the sites for Indian Institute of Management- Odisha, the State government was constrained by the fact that the location should be close to an airport as per guidelines circulated by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. This restricted our choice to places in and around Bhubaneswar,” Patnaik had said in his letter to HRD minister Smruti Zubin Irani.