The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) was founded in 1979 by the visionary Dr Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution in India, with the support of NDDB, the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Government of India, the Government of Gujarat, and the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation. The aim was to professionalise rural management, and IRMA became the first institute in India (and among the very few globally) to focus exclusively on rural development and management education.
Why Dr Verghese Kurien Built IRMA?
“My reasoning was even if only a handful of students each year from such an institute (IRMA) could grow, evolve, stride out into the world and, perhaps, build some more Amuls, what a boon it would be for our rural people and for the nation.” - From Dr. Verghese Kurien’s autobiography “I Too Had a Dream”
Over the last four decades, IRMA has earned a strong reputation for the unique combination of management training, grassroots exposure, and orientation towards social impact. IRMA consistently ranks among India's leading B-schools, recognised especially for its distinct specialisation in rural and development management. The IRMA alumni occupy vital positions in cooperatives, NGOs, government, and corporate organisations and contribute significantly to rural transformation in India and abroad.
IRMA Anand's flagship Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Rural Management) is well-known, respected, and often considered a gold standard for producing hard-nosed leaders who pair good business sense with a deep commitment to inclusive growth. Additionally, all of the IRMA faculty publish in national and international journals and contribute significantly to policy frameworks.
From the start onwards, IRMA follows a competitive admissions process. The candidates are first screened based on their performance in national-level management entrance exams like the CAT, XAT, or GMAT, along with written tests and personal interviews. Due to this competitive process, IRMA admits only the most driven aspirants with academic capability and social orientation who manage to gain admission.