IIM amendment bill proposing power to Prez to audit, order probes, appointments triggers autonomy debate
amendment bill of the Centre that proposes the President will be Visitor to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) with powers to audit their functioning, order probes and appoint as well as remove directors, has triggered an «autonomy» debate for the prestigious B-schools. The bill to amend the IIM Act of 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha last Friday amid disruptions by opposition members over the Manipur violence issue. While the Congress has alleged that PMO wants to maintain the tightest possible control and ensure «ideological purity», the IIMs are concerned about the amendment possibly taking away their autonomy rather than just fixing accountability.
«IIMs were given greater autonomy in 2017 and the legislation had wide support in Parliament. But six years later, the Narendra Modi government is undoing what it itself had introduced. Clearly, autonomy is unwelcome for this government,» Congress General Secretary and MP Jairam Ramesh said.
«The PMO now wants to maintain the tightest possible control and ensure ideological 'purity' setting aside all considerations of quality, freedom of thought and flexibility of administration of programmes,» he added. According to the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the President of India shall be Visitor of every institute. «The Visitor may appoint one or more persons to review the work and progress of any institute, to hold enquiries into affairs thereof and to report in such manner as the Visitor may direct.
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