The proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bihar has got a fresh lease of hope amid the ongoing standoff between the Centre and the state over its location.

It has come in the form of consent from IIM-Indore for playing the mentor's role for the B-school to be set up in Bihar. Earlier, the Indore institute had turned down an offer of playing the mentor and had said it would do so only if the Bihar government toed the Centre's decision of building the new IIM in Patna only.

Education minister Brishen Patel told The Telegraph on Wednesday: 'We hope the Centre would soften its stand regarding location of the IIM in Bihar with a mentor in place now.'

The Centre had recently sent a letter to the state stating that it stood for setting up the new IIM at Patna only. The letter had come after Bihar had suggested Bodhgaya as a likely location for the proposed institution.

The education minister said chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh had written a letter to the Centre urging it to allow setting up the IIM at Bodhgaya. 'He has also mentioned IIM-Indore's consent to play the mentor's role for the IIM to be set up in Bihar,' added the minister.

Mentoring a new institution means that IIM-Indore would provide all kind of help to the upcoming B-school, from sending faculty members to help the new institution decide courses to proper methods of making the management school function smoothly.

When IIT-Patna was set up on August 6, 2008, its Guwahati counterpart that had been established in 1994 became the former's mentor, helping it run smoothly.

However, IIM-Indore's consent for the mentor's role has come after much cajoling. The business school had earlier toed the Centre's stand that the institution should be set up in Patna only.

'When the state government explained things afresh in detail to the IIM-Indore administration, it agreed to take up the mentor's role, even if the institution is set up in Bodhgaya,' Patel said.

The land on which the state government plans to set up the IIM belongs to the Magadh University (MU) located in Bodhgaya.

Earlier, a section of MU officials had rejected the state government's decision and had refused to provide its land. However, the matter was later resolved and MU officials agreed to the state government's decision.

'Bodhgaya is an ideal place. It is well known in the country and globally as well. It has got proper rail, road and air connectivity. It has also got an international airport,' Patel said, adding: 'As asked by the Centre, the state is trying hard to find land in the vicinity of Patna but till now nothing positive has emerged on this front. Hence, we are sticking to our stand regarding Bodhgaya as a viable option for setting up the business school.'