The Indian Institute of Management Udaipur on Monday virtually launched its Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programme, with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal joining the ceremony as Chief Guest and describing the initiative as “very unique” and “a good concept” that combines technology, bilingual education and wider access to quality management learning.
Despite heavy rain in Mumbai delaying his flight, Goyal joined the event live from his car soon after landing, addressing students, parents, faculty members, alumni and the IIM Udaipur community. The ceremony opened with the National Song and welcome remarks by Prof. Ashok Banerjee, Director, IIM Udaipur, after Prof. Kunal Kamal Kumar, Chairperson of the BBA Programme, formally welcomed the virtual audience.
Watch: Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, ''Friends, the brand of the Indian Institute of Management, IIM, is recognized all over the world in the world of management. Be it in the boardrooms in Mumbai or in Manhattan, New York, IIM is an institution that prepares young people for… pic.twitter.com/HZAHCWuU8x
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Goyal said the bilingual and online format could take management education to a much larger section of students by making it easier to understand and access. Referring to July 6 and remembering Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, India’s first Industry Minister, he said the programme reflected two ideas Mookerjee strongly believed in: education in the mother tongue and the role of universities in nation building.
The Minister said the IIM brand is recognised globally for preparing young people for leadership, management and entrepreneurship. He praised IIM Udaipur’s journey since 2011, its recognition as a young business school, and its role in encouraging entrepreneurship through alumni-linked ventures such as Bombay Shaving Company and CurryiT.
Highlighting the post-Covid transformation of education, Goyal said technology had become central to learning and India’s digital reach was helping bridge the gap between villages and cities. With nearly 100 crore internet users and the National Education Policy’s emphasis on technology-enabled quality education, he said IIM Udaipur’s online and bilingual BBA programme was a timely model.
Goyal underlined that talent should not be limited by circumstances and deserving students must get opportunities despite barriers such as location, language, cost or confidence. He noted the scholarship provision and said the Hindi-English undergraduate programme would serve both India and Indian industry. IIM classrooms, he said, would now be visible on screens, whether a learner was joining from a small shop in Bhilwara or from a former Naxal-affected area of Bastar. He also appreciated the online delivery with offline tests, calling it an accountable and unique evaluation model.
The Minister offered four suggestions to strengthen the programme: periodic faculty visits and student interaction sessions at different locations; greater focus on soft skills, communication, teamwork and technology awareness; experiential learning through visits to factories, ports and industrial clusters; and adoption of global best practices, including audio-visual tools, credit transfer under the NEP, institutional partnerships, joint physical and virtual programmes, and research internships in the fourth year.
Goyal congratulated the first batch, saying it would create history, and urged students to prepare themselves for contributing to Viksit Bharat during Amrit Kaal. He said opportunities in manufacturing, innovation and global trade would open new pathways for young learners.
Prof. Banerjee welcomed the Minister’s suggestions and said IIM Udaipur would work on them and share progress by year-end. Prof. Kumar said the BBA programme was not about lowering standards but removing barriers, offering faculty-led, structured and rigorous learning supported by regular engagement, quizzes, examinations and feedback. Prof. Anirban Adhikary, Dean, Faculty and Research, and Prof. Vijayta Doshi, Dean, Programmes, also addressed the ceremony, emphasizing academic rigour, inclusive access and high-quality management education.
