NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to set up an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Guwahati, making it the second IIM in the North East after Shillong (established in 2007) and the 22nd in the country. The Centre has committed over Rs 500 crore for the project, senior government officials said. The move further strengthens Guwahati’s position as a major education hub in the region, already home to premier institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, National Law University and Judicial Academy, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari, Guwahati.According to senior govt officials, the new IIM will fill a long-standing gap in management education in the North East, offering high-quality programmes and research opportunities to students from across the country. They added that its presence will attract talent, boost entrepreneurship, and support capacity-building in sectors critical to the region’s economic growth in particular and of the country in general.The establishment of the institute is also seen as part of the Centre’s broader strategy to expand higher education infrastructure in the North East, which in recent years has witnessed the setting up of central universities, AIIMS campuses, and specialised research centres. Officials said the aim is to bridge regional disparities in access to top-tier institutions, improve employability, and integrate the region more closely with national and global economic networks.The bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament during the current session.