The Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya (IIM Bodh Gaya) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Water Resource Department, Bihar, on September 30, 2022, at Gyan Bhawan, Patna. The MoU was signed by Dr. Vinita S Sahay, Director, IIM Bodh Gaya, and Mr. Padma Kant Jha, Director, Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI). As a part of this MoU, IIM Bodh Gaya is going to conduct a series of Management and Skill Development Programmes for the officials of the Water Resources Department.

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Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha, Honourable Minister of Water Resource and Information and Public Relations Department, Govt of Bihar; Mr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Secretary WRD; Dr. Vinita S Sahay, Founder Director, IIM Bodh Gaya; Mr. Rabindra Kumar Shanker, Engineer-in-Chief Headquarter; Mr. Padma Kant Jha, Director, Water and Land Management Institute; graced the event with their presence.

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The Water Resources Department (WRD) constructs and maintains irrigation and flood management structures in and around Bihar. It also addresses the implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management and protects the right of the State to share the water of inter-state rivers/basins.

As Bihar is an agricultural state, there is a pressing need to construct an efficient irrigation system. Yet, the state’s distinctive geography makes it difficult to protect life and property from floods. In light of these constraints, the WRD staff requires not only technically skilled staff but also employees with strong management abilities to ensure the timely completion of projects. Therefore, comprehensive WRD training and staff development have become crucial.

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IIM Bodh Gaya is keen to support the state of Bihar in developing leadership and management capacity. The institute is already actively involved in providing leadership and management training to various departments of the Bihar government, such as the State Health Society, Police Academy, BIPARD, and Department of Industries, to name a few.

IIM Bodh Gaya offers MBA, IPM, Ph.D., and short and long-duration Executive Education programmes. It has also signed an MOU with AIIMS Patna to offer academic programs and conduct joint research in the health sector. The Institute is also planning to offer a two-year full-time MBA programme in new-age technology and healthcare. Additionally, it is proposing to set up a satellite campus at Bihta Industrial Area Patna to offer executive MBA and Ph.D. programmes.

At the event, honourable Minister Shri Sanjay Jha said, “It is a landmark move – the signing of MoU between IIMBG and WRD.” He explained the development journey of the country across decades and emphasized, “Our integration of engineering and management is the way forward.” He also explained how the department is doing innovation in flood and drought management. He also mentioned that “Senior officials also require training”.

Dr. Vinita S Sahay addressed the gathering and mentioned, “Educating, training, and capability building is the only way forward to transform young manpower into assets of the country.” She highlighted the Institute’s commitment to develop leaders and competent managers in the public systems.

Mr. Padma Kant Jha talked about the importance of training and how IIM BG can help build leadership and management capability into the engineers of WRD.

Mr. Rabindra Kumar Shanker has said that WRD has excellent engineers; however, leadership and management training will significantly improve the performance of the department.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal emphasized, “Today we need management capability along with engineering capability as most senior engineers indeed practice management. We should have a hunger for training and learning. We need to create pathways using learning from both success and failure cases.”

Following the speeches by the dignitaries, Prof. Mohammed Laeequddin, Chairperson of Executive Education and Consultation, IIM Bodh Gaya, gave a presentation to brief the dignitaries and all present about the purpose and scope of the MoU. Dr. Vinita S Sahay, Prof. Mohammed Laeequddin and Prof. Amit Srivastava gave mementos to the distinguished guests. Prof. Srilekha Mishra coordinated the event.