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Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA): Creating the much needed Rural Managers for Tomorrow

A close look into the institutions offering academic programs pertaining to the rural space has revealed that there are several programs that address the needs of development and social work as part of a Master's program. However, these programs were oriented more towards the social sciences and disregarded markets. Most students who graduated from such programs joined the nonprofit sector and in many cases took to activism. All the same, what the Rural India needs right now is empowerment. It needs managers with special skills with their heart in the right place and can understand the world of commerce. It needs people with specific skill sets and training for the rural sector as provided by Institutes such as the Institute of Rural Management Anand, founded by Verghese Kurien. How...