Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor on Thursday ruled out any possibility of establishing an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Odisha during the current financial year as the State Government urges the Centre for an early approval of the proposal for Community Colleges.
Tharoor, who along with his wife Sunanda Puskar paid a “courtesy call” on CM Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat, told reporters that the issue of setting up of an IIM did not come up for discussion. However, “under the present environment and within the current life span of lok Sabha, it is unrealistic to expect any more IIMs, he said.
He clarified Centre is concentrating consolidation of the existing IITs and IIMs and the emphasis is on creation of good faculty and students by strengthening the infrastructure.
According to official sources, during the meeting the CM urged Tharoor for increasing scholarships for technical education in Government institutes and raised the issue of giving an early approval to the proposal for setting up Community Colleges in the State. Sources said Tharoor had a detailed discussion with Secretary of School and Mass Education Usha Padhee on the procedure relating to the implementation of the midday meal programme.