Students of XIMB, Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, July 10: Aspiring MBAs in western Orissa will soon have an option to study at an institute nearer home.

The Xavier Institute of Management is all set to create additional centres in the western part of the state.

“It (the additional centre) will either be in Sambalpur or Bolangir. We might even open centres in both cities. This will depend on where the state government provides land. Once that is over, we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the state government,” said XIMB director Father P.T. Joseph.

He added that the institute authorities were simply waiting for approval from the Orissa chief minister.

“We are just waiting for Naveen Patnaik’s approval. We can start work on the new centre as soon as we receive his approval,” he said.

With some areas in the state lacking in renowned education institutes, the XIMB’s new centre will come as something of a relief. “The idea is to make quality higher education accessible to people living in remote areas of the state. We have submitted the project proposal. It is with the planning and coordination department now,” said the XIMB director.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch ceremony of the post-graduate programme in banking and financial services.

While the project has received huge appreciation from all quarters, the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) has reportedly assured that it would spend Rs 20 crore on the project.

State planning and coordination minister AU Singh Deo apparently urged XIMB to come up with the proposal.

Singh Deo represents Bolangir constituency. He said that the new project would bring about positive change in the relatively backward western Orissa.

“The management college will come as succour to students aspiring for quality higher education in the neglected areas of western Orissa. Centres of XIMB will come up at both Bolangir and Sambalpur. We are in the process of finalising the land plots. The state government has already sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the project,” said Singh Deo.

XIMB is already working on its second campus in Khurda, 15km from the main campus here.

“The state government has assured us that they would build a compound wall for the Khurda centre and hand it over to us,” said Father Joseph.

The B-school currently offers courses such as post-graduate in management, post-graduate diploma in management for working executives, post-graduate diploma in rural management and doctoral-level fellow programme in management.