IIM Shillong To Send Bureaucrats To China

Guwahati, Feb 10 : Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong is rolling out an advanced management programme for bureaucrats in the northeastern states in collaboration with Ocean University of China, from February 17 this year.

To begin with, nearly 20 bureaucrats from Meghalaya will be trained in China on the Chinese way of doing business. IIM plans to cover other states in a phased manner.

IIM-Shillong has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ocean University of China, and the five-day course will be conducted in the university's campus in Qingdao. The fee per participant is nearly Rs 2 lakh.

"We are also in talks with governments of other northeastern states for this course, and by next year, officials of these states will be taken for the course," IIM Shillong director Ashoke Dutta told ET.

The course will involve understanding Chinese business and its growth. "It will include a field visit. The economic transformation of China, state functioning and culture, besides operation of foreign direct investment and urban development will be the focus," says Dutta.

The whole idea of this programme is to establish people-to-people contact and learn from Chinese experience, he adds. "China to wants greater engagement with India and Northeast India is a good platform to do so."

The Northeast's bilateral trade with its neighbour is dismal. During 2010-11, total export from the region was worth around Rs 861.14 crore. "China has emerged as an important trading partner of India and the European Union, and knowing China has become very important for us," he adds. As part of its Look East policy which came into existence a decade ago, India is making attempts to foster greater economic ties with Asian countries.

"Meghalaya is looking to become the launching pad of the Look East policy. This region has close proximity with the emerging economics of South East Asia," adds Dutta.