NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill declaring Indian Institutes of Management as “institutions of national importance” and allowing them to grant degrees and set up campuses abroad.Advocating more autonomy to the premier management institutions, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha on February 9, were is it was passed unanimously. Providing statutory powers to the IIMs, the Bill enables the institutions to “ set up centres of management studies and allied areas outside India in accordance with guidelines laid down by the central government from time to time and in accordance with the provisions of the laws in force in such foreign country”.While the Board of Governors (BOG) will now be the principal executive body of each IIM, the Bill also empowers the IIMs to appoint their own chairperson. Instead of the Centre, the Board will now appoint the director (now termed as chief executive officer) of each IIM. Also the search-cum-selection committee to be constituted by the Board will consist of the chairperson and three members from amongst eminent administrators, industrialists, educationists, scientists, technocrats and management specialists.The BOG of each IIM shall consist of a chairperson, one nominee each of the Centre and the state government, four eminent persons (including a woman) distinguished in the field of education, industry, commerce, social service or public administration. Two faculty members, one member from SC or ST sections and up to five persons co-opted from the alumni or who are members of the society of the existing institute would also be members of the Board. There would be at least three women members.An earlier draft of the Bill had the provision of the President being the Visitor and choosing the director, but the HRD ministry removed the provision to grant more autonomy to the institutes. IIMs till now had been registered as societies and unable to grant degrees, including PhD, to their students.In the “statement of objects and reasons”, Javadekar said while PG diploma in management programme (equivalent to MBA) was relatively unaffected, the Fellow Programme in Management (equivalent to PhD), without the formal degree nomenclature, had not been able to attract students required to develop a strong research base in the country.Reservations in admissions will be provided as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.The governing board of IIMs will evaluate and review the performance of the institute within the first three years of establishment and thereafter at least once every three years.The Bill also lays down that there would be a coordination forum with an eminent person as its chairman. This forum will discuss issues which are of common interest to all the IIMs.