NEW DELHI: The 20 Indian Institutes of Management ( IIMs ) in the country joined the league of ‘Institutes of National Importance’ just as the IITs and AIIMS after the Lok Sabha passed the Indian Institute of Management Bill , 2017.Brought in by Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar in Parliament on Friday, the Bill gives B-schools more autonomy and will allow them to grant degrees instead of postgraduate diplomas.Restricting government role in the functioning of these institutes, the bill also gives statutory powers to them in their running, including the appointment of directors and faculty members.Moving the bill for consideration and passage, Javadekar said the aim of the bill is to remove the government’s interference in IIMs. He said the proposed legislation will usher in a new era of freedom in the IIMs and these institutes will not require to come to the government for various permissions and clearances. “We should trust our institutions. It is difficult to run IIMs from here,” he said, adding that autonomy is must for institutes which have created an eco-system for excellence in higher education.The bill also has provisions for appointment of members of the board of governors (BoG) in each of the 20 IIMs through a transparent process, while limiting even the HRD minister’s role. The government will have only one representative in each BoG so that the institutes can take decisions independently. It also abolishes the post of visitor.While former Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised the move and called the passage of the bill a ‘remarkable’ moment, he criticised the government for not enhancing financial assistance to IITs and IIMs, saying they are reeling under fund crunch. He suggested the government should have some say in determining fee structure in the IIMs as higher fees may badly hit students from the poor families.