XIM, Bhubhaneshwar (Photo: Nilesh)

Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneshwar is planning to begin operations of its new campus in Jatni (a town 20 kms away from the present XIMB campus in Bhubaneswar) from next year onwards. The institute intends to shift the Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management (PGDM-RM) course completely to the new campus.

The proposed 35 acres of land where the Jatni campus is set to be constructed was acquired by the institute around two years ago. Architectural plans for the new campus have been chalked out and approved by the institute, and the construction is due to begin soon.

The infrastructure at Jatni campus will include an academic block, a boys’ hostel, a girls’ hostel, a library and more. Our plan to shift the PGDM-RM course in its entirety should not pose a problem. Most teachers, barring a few, are exclusive to the course, XIMB director Fr PT Joseph, SJ told PaGaLGuY. He added that since the distance between both the campuses was not a lot, frequent transportation between the campuses would also not be a cause of concern.

The director added that any expansion in the PGDM-RM course intake after moving to the new campus was subject to All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval. In a recent interview with PaGaLGuY, Fr Joseph had said that the Government of Odisha had not shown excitement about increasing management seats in the state. According to him, many states across the country, including Odisha had requested the AICTE to not approve applications for new management institutes, considering how many b-schools across the country were running with vacant seats.

In addition to the campus in Jatni, XIMB has also got the state government’s approval to start a new campus in Balangir, a town in western Odisha. According to the director, the state government has approved a grant of Rs 10 crores for the Balangir campus, which will be provided to the institute in a public-private partnership format. Despite the approval, XIMB’s energies at this point were focused more on starting up the Jatni campus than the one at Balangir, the director said.