Mrinal from Bihar and Satya Pramod from Tamil Nadu, both engineers with a couple of years of experience in MNCs, chose the newly launched IIM – Visakhapatnam over other top B-Schools for four reasons -- the new IIM-V is being mentored by IIM-Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam city is a happening city and is strategically located, it is an industrial hub and it is located in a sunrise State headed by a Chief Minister with a vision.
Interacting with The Hindu , after the launch of the institute here on Monday, the 54 students, including four girls, who have sought admission into the institute, aired a similar view.
IIM-V is the fifth central institute to begin operation in the State after IIT, IIIT, NIT and IISER this year.
Inaugurating IIM-V, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said the institute should make best use of the public sector units in the district and encourage entrepreneurship among the students.
He also pointed out that IIM –V should play a major role in attracting private sector units to the district, as the environment was conducive for the setting up of new industries.
“Industrial development will be a boon for both State and the institute,” he said.
Director of IIM-Bengaluru Sushil Vachani said: “IIM-B will continue its mentorship till the new institute has its own director and faculty staff and is capable of running on its own.”
“Till such time, the faculty members from IIM-B will be posted here term wise. Even the career development cell of IIM-B will take care of placements of the students from IIM-V,” he said.
The summer internship programme for 2016 had already been decided and the students from IIM-V would be leaving for Bengaluru for their selection in October, he said.
Presently housed at Andhra Bank School of Business on Andhra University campus, IIM-V will move to its new campus, which is coming up at Gambheeram in a few years.
The management has hired a service apartment at Peda Waltair to serve as a hostel for the time being.
Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju also spoke.
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, MLAs Vishnu Kumar Raju, Palla Srinivas and Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, Zilla Praja Parishad Chairman Lalam Bhavani, Dean Programmes of IIM-B Sourav Mukherji and RINL Chairman and Managing Director P. Madhusudan and others were present.