Telangana civil society demands IIM in Hyderabad, calls it a ‘glaring injustice’
HYDERABAD: Telangana’s civil society and academic leaders are raising their voices louder than ever, calling on the central government to fix what they see as a glaring gap in India’s top education network: the lack of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the state. At the forefront is M. Sampath Reddy of the Medchal Metro Sadhana Samithi, who has formally petitioned Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other key figures, insisting that Telangana’s status as a major economic powerhouse renders this oversight unjustifiable.
In his representation, Reddy points out that, with 21 IIMs currently established across the nation, Telangana is the only major industrialized state without one. Neighboring states like Andhra Pradesh (IIM Visakhapatnam), Karnataka (IIM Bangalore), and Tamil Nadu (IIM Tiruchirappalli) all host these premier institutions.
“This omission is particularly striking given Telangana’s rapid growth as a hub for information technology, pharmaceuticals, and entrepreneurship,” Reddy stated in his appeal. He argues that the absence of an IIM limits local students’ access to quality management education and restricts the state’s participation in the national knowledge economy.
The central government’s position, as stated in Parliament by Telangana’s MPs Balram Naik in 2024 and Dr. Kadiyam Kavya in 2025, is that no proposal for an IIM in Hyderabad is under consideration. Officials cited the establishment of seven Third Generation IIMs between 2015 and 2016 and pointed to other central institutions like IIT Hyderabad and the University of Hyderabad as significant investments in the state’s education infrastructure.
Citizen advocates respond by highlighting several points. The Telangana government has reportedly allocated 200 acres at the University of Hyderabad and prepared a transit campus for immediate use. They emphasize that, although Hyderabad hosts the Indian School of Business (ISB), a public IIM would offer subsidized, reservation-based access. “To become an MBA graduate from ISB, you have to spend a minimum of Rs 50 lakhs. We have meritorious students who cannot afford that,” Reddy explained.
Moreover, they argue that establishing an IIM would directly fuel the state’s IT, pharmaceutical, and startup sectors with local talent, aligning with national goals of equitable development.
The appeal frames the establishment of an IIM in Hyderabad not as a special request but as a rightful claim equal to that given to other states.
