State government plans to grant university status to JBIMS

MUMBAI: The state government on Saturday announced the conversion of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) into an autonomous management university. Chandrakant Patil, minister of higher and technical education, made the announcement on the diamond jubilee celebration of the institute. Patil also announced the appointment of industrialist, Ajay Piramal, who is also a 1977 batch alumnus, as a one-man committee to undertake a study for the establishment of the university.

The University of Mumbai’s (MU) JBIMS, one of India’s premier management institutes, is celebrating its diamond jubilee on Saturday and Sunday at the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Convocation Hall.

Patil, who was the chief guest at an event termed ‘CEO Factory’, said, “The progress and achievements of the institution in the last 60 years have been unparalleled and glorious. Students from all over the world will be able to come here to pursue world-class management education.”

Stating that the government will provide all possible support, Patil added, “We want to do this work (conversion) on fast track. We will try to grant the status of the university before the start of the upcoming academic year in June.” He pointed out that, in the future, other management institutes could get affiliation from this proposed university.

On the occasion, the State Information and Technology, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar congratulated JBIMS for its remarkable achievements and said it’s a new beginning for the institute and must combine technology with management education.

Industrialist Piramal said JBIMS has produced the most CEOs and praised the institute’s performance as a CEO factory. An initiative is in progress to get JBIMS, the status of a university, he said.

Vice Chancellor of MU Prof Ravindra Kulkarni spoke about how the institute has shaped the corporate world of the country. “In the future, this institute will continue to take the initiative for deep tech start-ups by focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship, keeping in mind the needs of the entrepreneurial sector.”