Kurien faces another setback

MUMBAI: Milkman Verghese Kurien might have to relinquish the chairmanship of India’s only premier rural management school, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA).

The IRMA in a special meeting approved the co-option of five members on the board of the institute who have been opposing Kurien’s lifetime chairmanship. Kurien was supported only by a couple of IRMA faculty members and Vipul Choudhary, chairman of Mehsana District Milk Producers’ Union.

“The board meeting of IRMA proved crucial. With co-opted members already opposing Kurien’s lifetime chairmanship in IRMA, he may have to loose the chairmanship,” a veteran involved in the co-operative sector told DNA.

It may be recalled here that Kurien had started loosing ground last year since his lifetime chairmanship of IRMA was challenged in April 2005.

Five co-opted members including Hasmukh Shah, chairman of National Institute of Design and former chairman of Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, Bakul Dholakia, director of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and Vijay Mahajan, managing director of Hyderabad based micro finance institution Basix opposed the life time tenure of IRMA chairman.