Union Minister asks IIM to be catalyst for North East

SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Mahendra Nath Pandey who visited IIM-Shillong on Friday asked the Institute to play its role as a catalyst focusing on the developmental needs of the Northeast.
Pandey also said that the Institute should make itself accessible for overall growth of Northeast apart from imparting quality higher education to the students from across India.
Pandey urged the community of faculty members to work in tandem with the overall aim of moving from assistance in ‘Look East’ to Áct East’ vision of the country and ensured all out support to the Institute in its initiatives. 
On his arrival, the Minister was given a first-hand view of the premises at IIM Shillong’s current campus, including the auditorium where former President APJ Abdul Kalam had delivered his last lecture. 
Besides, he had an interaction with the Director Amitabha De and faculty members on various issues of regional and national importance.
The Minister congratulated the efforts of the Institute’s leadership in meeting PM Modi’s vision towards holistic societal development.
During the interaction, the Director of the Institute shared the success stories of the Institute during its 10 year span of existence.
De informed the Minister regarding the support through DoNER and NEC towards setting up of the APJ Abdul Kalam Center for Policy Research & Analysis. “The Center aims at achieving developmental framework on six key areas such as tourism, BPO, logistics, handloom and handicraft,” said the Director.