Examiner Bureau | Jammu:
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday called upon the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu to develop distinctive academic and research priorities, with a special focus on border economies, frontier development and the emerging challenges of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Addressing the institute’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Sinha urged the faculty, students and alumni to use the region as a living laboratory for management education and develop innovative ideas that can contribute directly to economic growth and social development.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted IIM Jammu’s transformation over the past decade, recalling its beginnings with an initial cohort of just 56 students and a temporary campus on Canal Road and its subsequent emergence as an internationally engaged business school.
Sinha described the institute’s decade-long journey as one marked by “courage and conviction”, while highlighting its academic achievements, including AMBA and EFMD accreditations and partnerships with institutions in several countries.
Congratulating the faculty, students, staff and alumni on completing 10 years, he urged the institution to maintain the same ambition and determination as it enters its next decade.
The Lieutenant Governor said IIM Jammu should now build on its achievements by developing its own bold and distinctive academic and research agenda, rather than simply following established models.
Sinha particularly emphasised the need for greater research into the economic realities of border regions and frontier areas.
He called upon IIM Jammu to orient its research towards the challenges and opportunities associated with border economies and frontier development, while using Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh as living case studies for management education.
Such an approach, he said, could help develop knowledge and practical solutions relevant to the region while giving students exposure to complex economic, social and administrative challenges.
The Lieutenant Governor also urged IIM Jammu to ensure that its graduates go beyond acquiring academic knowledge and contribute tangible outcomes before completing their studies.
He encouraged students to translate their ideas into enterprises, innovations and practical solutions that can create opportunities and address real-world challenges in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Sinha said the institute’s responsibility should extend beyond producing management professionals to nurturing individuals capable of creating sustainable businesses and solving problems affecting communities and the wider economy.
Over the past 10 years, IIM Jammu has grown from its modest beginnings into what Sinha described as one of the country’s dynamic and internationally connected business schools.
The Lieutenant Governor encouraged its faculty, students and alumni to build on this foundation and make the institute’s next decade even more ambitious.
He said the institution has an opportunity to develop a distinctive identity rooted in the region while maintaining a strong national and international outlook.
As IIM Jammu begins its second decade, Sinha’s message placed particular emphasis on innovation, region-focused research, entrepreneurship and practical impact, with the institute being urged to play a larger role in shaping the economic future of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
