The Site Selection Committee (SSC) of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), constituted to assess suitability of sites proposed by J&K Government for setting up of IIM at Jammu, on the Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar here today.The Committee comprises Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary MHRD, Ajit Prasad, Director IIM Lucknow, Sarita Chauhan, Commissioner/Secretary to J&K Government Higher Education Department and Executive Engineer CPWD, Jammu zone.The members apprised the Minister about their visit to the proposed sites for setting up permanent and temporary campus of the IIM at Jammu. The proposed sites include village Raika and village Jagti in Jammu district.A report on the assessment made by the Committee on the suitability of the land for setting up IIM will be submitted to the MHRD for finalization of the site.
Director IIM Lucknow informed the Minister that IIM Jammu is likely to start operating from July 2016 with a batch of 40 students with a provision for expansion in the following years. He said the IIM Jammu will start functioning from the Old University campus, which will be a temporary accommodation till the permanent campus is built. He informed that in the immediate future a 2 year PGDM program will also be launched.The Minister was informed that IIM also plans to conduct training programmes for the teachers working in the State Government for local area development and problem solving.To attract the local youth, IIM will be also be conducting coaching classes for admission into the IIM system.