Shillong: The seventh Indian Institute of Management started imparting lessons here on Friday, becoming the first IIM in the northeast. Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy would do the formal inauguration in the evening.

The institute, which would connect the region with the world's growing marketing and management realities, is named Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM). It will functioning in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus for the time being.

"This is a dream fulfilled for the people of the region and we hope this prestigious institute would contribute to the manpower of tomorrow, not only in the northeast, but also in the whole country and abroad," the chief minister said.

IIM Shillong is the seventh IIM in the country after Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.

Initially, 60 students, who cleared the the Common Admission Test (CAT), will attend the institute's flagship programme - Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM).

The intake of students will be subsequently increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. The permanent campus, currently under construction, is spread over a sprawling 120 acres provided by the Meghalaya government.

"The institute would provide a new impetus to the quality management education in the northeast with its mission of modernising and globalising the country through the promotion of higher education," Roy said.

The institute would later introduce courses like tourism and hospitality management, tele-services and telemedicine, information systems and technology, and subjects such as horticulture, besides hydel power. IANS