PM Narendra Modi's big gift to Odisha, lays foundation of new Sambalpur IIM Campus

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation of the new Sambalpur IIM campus in Odisha. Laying the foundation through video conferencing, he said, “Reforms in the fields of the farm sector to space research are paving the way for new start-ups.”

PM Modi also said innovation, integrity and inclusion had emerged as key mantras in the field of management. “The concept of management is changing with a change in the style of work. Focus is now on collaborative, innovative and transformative management,” PM Modi added. 

Noting that technology is reducing distances between regions, Modi said India has brought speedy reforms in the digital connectivity sector in order to cope with changes taking places all over the world. "Technology management is as important as human management," he said, adding the country has been able to build substantial capacity over the last decade which was evident during the COVID-19 crisis.

Emphasising that the young generation should take along those lagging behind to ensure inclusive growth, PM Modi said local products will have global reach with the help of new management concepts and techniques.

"Today's start-ups in India are tomorrow's Multinational Corporations," he said, and asked young managers to align their career goals to the aspirations of the country. The Prime Minister said IIM Sambalpur will go a long way in giving Odisha a new identity in the field of management education apart from creating tremendous opportunities for the handloom and other sectors in the region. 

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik along with Union Ministers Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Chandra Sarangi were present on the occasion. 

The ceremony was virtually attended by more than 5,000 invitees, including officials, industry leaders, academicians and students, alumni and faculty of IIM, Sambalpur.

IIM Sambalpur is the first IIM to implement the concept of a flipped classroom where the basic concepts are learnt in digital mode and experiential learning takes place in the class through live projects from the industry.

The institute also outscored all other IIMs in terms of the highest gender diversity with 49 per cent girl students in the MBA batch of 2019-21 and 43 per cent in the 2020-22 MBA batch.