Students at Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) have one goal in common - to serve the most under-served sector of the economy - agriculture. The institute offers a Post-graduate Diploma in Rural Management (PGDRM) and an Executive Post-graduate Diploma in Management (Rural). The highlight of the courses is an eight-week long village fieldwork segment, which exposes and sensitises students to the realities of rural life. Students are divided in small groups and sent to villages across the country. The aim is to familiarise them with the problems rural professionals face and see how they deal with them creatively and tactfully. This helps students develop the skill-sets needed to become effective rural managers. IRMA also offers a Fellow Programme in Rural Management and a certificate course in Rural Management.
Sharad Raj Utsav, a PGDRM student, who pursued Gandhi Fellowship, says, “I worked in the villages of Churu district of Rajasthan for two years. There, I discovered my passion to work in the livelihood sector, primarily in agri-business, and that led me to IRMA. For me, IRMA is an embodiment of empathy and business.” The need of the hour is to provide business solutions to rural problems, which can only take place through managerial expertise, he says. “For this, I found IRMA to be the best place,” Sharad says.
Suruchi Agrawal says, “People chose this institute over others because they wanted to work in the developmental sector. The unique thing about IRMA is the village fieldwork segment and we are eagerly waiting for that segment.”