M A I N   N E W S

Kolkata IIM accepts cut in fee

New Delhi, March 27
The Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, has decided to accept reduction in fee as proposed by the Central Government while the IIM, Bangalore, today authorised its Chairman to take a decision in this regard.

The Board of Governors of the IIM, Kolkata, decided to accept reduction in fee subject to concerns raised by the faculty on the question of autonomy.

At the four-hour-long board meeting yesterday, the government nominees said there would be no interference in the functioning of the institute, a member of the IIM, Kolkata, board said in Kolkata.

The board authorised its Chairman, Mr Y.C. Deveshwar, to word a resolution accordingly saying the fee reduction had been accepted subject to concerns raised by the faculty and on the outcome of the final decision of the Supreme Court.

The Board of Governors of the IIM, Bangalore, authorised its Chairman S M Datta to take a final decision on the fee-cut issue.

Mr Datta, former Chairman of Hindustan Lever Limited, told reporters after the board meeting that it had authorised him to take a decision on the matter and he would come out with it with in the next one week.

Meanwhile, the IIM, Kozhikode, justified its decision to endorse the government’s decision to effect a fee cut saying “the government ought to have a supervisory role for funding such institutions”.

NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi today said a fear psychosis was being created against the decision to slash the fees in the Indian Institutes of Management by those whose irregularities will be exposed soon.

“Financial irregularities in certain Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) may emerge in the coming days,’’ Dr Joshi said in an interview to the NDTV.

Responding to the opposition by the IIMs to the Ministry’s recent decision to slash fees by 80 per cent, Dr Joshi said: “A fear psychosis is being generated by those who will be exposed when financial irregularities by certain institutions will come out.’’

Significantly, the HRD Minister’s comment comes before the Shunglu Committee inquires into the November 2003 paper leak in the Combined Admission Test (CAT) and the financial requirements of the IIMs.

Dr Joshi claimed that opposition to the fee slash by the IIMs was not unanimous. “It is just one IIM that started opposition to it,’’ Dr Joshi told NDTV. “Two of the Boards have already signed.’’