IICA to Set Up First Regional Campus in Northeast at Shillong, Boosting Corporate Governance and Development

Delhi: In a step toward inclusive national development and regional capacity building, the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has acquired a five-acre land parcel in New Shillong Township, Meghalaya, for the founding of its first regional campus in the Northeast.

Funded under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for the North-East Region (PM-DevINE), the Rs. 100.95 crore Shillong campus will serve as a regional hub for specialised training, research, and policy advisory in key domains such as Corporate Governance, ESG, CSR, Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Competition Law, and Board Leadership.

The land transfer ceremony was held in the presence of Shri Donald Phillips Wahlang, Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya, and Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Senior officials including Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General & CEO of IICA; Inderdeep Singh Dhariwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs; and Shri C.V.D. Diengdoh, Commissioner & Secretary, Planning Department, also attended the event.

K. Hynniewta, Joint Secretary, Planning Department, Government of Meghalaya, formally handed over the land to Shekhar Srivastava, Deputy Secretary, Government of India.

Strategic Location and Regional Significance

Highlighting the Knowledge City cluster as a strategic educational and policy hub, the Chief Secretary noted the presence of premier institutions like IIM Shillong, National Law University Meghalaya, and NIFT. He also announced plans for a new airport in Shillong, expected to improve regional connectivity and improve convenience to the campus.

"A Symbol of Decentralization and Empowerment"

Calling the occasion historic, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG & CEO of IICA, described the Shillong campus as “our first baby outside Delhi,” representing decentralization and empowerment. He said the campus will support entrepreneurship, capacity building, and good governance in alignment with national goals such as Ease of Doing Business, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Viksit Bharat @2047.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent focus on the Northeast as the “Ashtalakshmi of India,” Singh emphasized the region’s untapped potential and the transformative role of institutions like IICA. “This is not just an expansion it’s a commitment to transformation through infrastructure and knowledge,” he stated.

Centre-State Partnership Lauded

Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, commended the Government of Meghalaya for its proactive support, terming the collaboration a testament to cooperative federalism and the Centre’s vision of empowering the Northeast as a growth engine for New India.

Looking Ahead: Operations to Begin This Fiscal Year

Construction of the campus will commence immediately, with academic and advisory programmes expected to begin within the current financial year. IICA has already engaged with the region through training initiatives that have benefited over 300 professionals and manages the Independent Director Databank with representation from all Northeastern states.

The new campus will also facilitate partnerships with state universities and local institutions within Knowledge City to deliver region-specific training and capacity-building programmes, catering to the socio-economic ambitions of the Northeast.

This growth marks IICA’s long-term promise to nurturing ethical entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, and accountable leaders from the heart of India’s Northeast.