New IIM to soon be operational in Shillong

India's most sought after institute, the Indian Institute of Management, will soon have another branch in Shillong, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said.

Speaking at the annual Editor's Conference on Social Sector, he said, "The foundation stone will be laid in Shillong next month and the institute will be operational in the coming academic season."

This will be the seventh IIM in the country after Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow.

Singh added that apart from setting up the institute in the northeast, the Central Government was making various efforts to strengthen the structure for professional educational in the region.

Special aid has been sanctioned to improve the quality of engineering courses.

Taking about allowing foreign educational institutes to set up base in India, Singh said that a bill had been drawn up and would be placed before the Parliament in the coming session.

"We are not against foreign institutes, but they will have to function under a framework," Singh said.

Singh also said that his ministry had conducted an evaluation of the higher education system in the northeast and concluded that it required more funds. A request had been made to the Planning Commission to pump in more money for the purpose.