The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, under the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017, by a voice vote, thereby granting IIM Guwahati the status of an institute of national importance. The passage came without any debate, as the House faced repeated disruptions, largely over the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who introduced the Bill, said that the legislation would strengthen higher education in the Northeast while uplifting the region’s development. The action follows a settlement agreement reached among the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the Assam government, and the central government, aimed at promoting Assamese development.
Under the Bill, the Centre has committed a corpus fund of ₹555 crore for five years, beginning 2025-26. After this, the institute is expected to run on its financial strength. IIM Ahmedabad will mentor the new institute, which will initially operate from a temporary campus, with a permanent one planned at Palasbari in Kamrup district.
With this addition, India now has 22 IIMs recognised as institutes of national importance. The Rajya Sabha has also given its nod to the Bill, and it now awaits Presidential assent. Admissions are expected to commence in the current academic year.
Highlighting the government’s focus on expanding management education, Pradhan noted that while only 13 IIMs were set up between 1961 and 2014, nine new ones have come up since 2014 under the Modi government. He additionally stated that the government’s dedication to expanding opportunities for Indian students is reflected in an increase in student enrollment across IIMs, which increased from 3,500 in 2013–14 to almost 9,800 in 2024–25.
Meanwhile, Opposition members opposed the discussion despite the Bill’s importance, arguing that the government was pushing it through without enough thought about it. “The state of Assam will have an IIM, and you are saying no,” said BJP MP Dilip Saikia, who chaired the proceedings, in defence of the decisions.
The government has framed the founding of IIM Guwahati as a step toward regional and national development as well as educational achievements, all while advancing its goal of making India the third-largest economy in the world.
