The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Rules, 2023 passed in the Parliament in July this year has been introduced to amend the IIM Rules, 2018. As per the rules, the President of India will now be a “Visitor” at all Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The President will have the power to appoint the chairperson of the board of governors, appoint or remove directors, and dissolve the board for its inability to perform its duties, reported Hindustan Times.
The visitor will also have the final say in the appointment of the Director of any IIM. “The Visitor shall nominate one of the names recommended by the Board and send the same to the Board for appointment of the person as Director: Provided that where the Visitor is not satisfied with the names recommended by the Board, he or she may ask the Board to make fresh recommendations,” the education ministry notified.
Also read| House Talk | What is the IIM Act Amendment Bill 2023 and Will it Dilute the Autonomy of B-Schools
The President will now have complete autonomy to appoint search panels for appointments of new directors. The visitor can also make policy decisions, approve annual budgets, and determine fees. Previously, a search-cum-selection committee used to be formed which comprised five eminent persons chosen from among administrators, industrialists, educationists, scientists, technocrats, and management specialists to be constituted by the Board for the same.
The President will also be able to dissolve the board of governors under three circumstances, which include if the visitor believes that the board is unable to discharge its functions properly, persistently defaulted in complying with any direction given by the Visitor under this Act, and in the public interest.
“The Visitor may, by order, dissolve the Board and appoint a person or persons as the Chairperson and members of an interim Board, as the case may be, for such period, not exceeding six months, and direct them to exercise powers and discharge functions under the Act,” the notification stated.
The Visitor can also terminate the services of the director of any IIM. “Notwithstanding anything contained in any of the clauses of this sub-rule, if the Visitor decides that the services of the Director may be terminated or the Director may be relieved from the services of the Institute, the Board shall be bound to follow the decision of the Visitor,” the notification stated.
Under the IIM Rules of 2018, the board of governors had the power to remove the director with two-thirds of the members present and voting and more than 50 per cent of the members of the Board.
Furthermore, the educational qualifications of an IIM Director have been revised. Earlier, the necessary eligibility criteria for an IIM director was “distinguished academic with PhD or equivalent”. As per the new rules, the he/she must be a “distinguished academic with a first class degree in both Bachelor’s and Master’s level and with PhD or equivalent from a reputed institute.”
Comments
0 comment