The character of a nation is reflected in and depends significantly on the health of its educational institutions. From time immemorial, India has a tradition of responsible institutions that have had as their aim the bringing out of sound men over and above sound scholars. Even the forest schools of yore, besides imparting education, transformed into nuclei of socio-cultural activity. Ancient universities like Taxila and Nalanda produced luminaries like Panini, Kautilya and Charaka and imparted education in a wide range of subjects including logic, grammar, medicine, philosophy and astronomy besides Buddhist and Brahmanical literature respectively. They were all bound by the common thread of exacting standards for students and being not merely the givers of knowledge but also centers to foster excellence. Modem Indian institutions are worthy torch-bearers of the same tradition donning the mantle to impart quality education and also to stem the tide of degeneration that stalks contemporary society. The Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management falls in the same genre of institutions.

IISWBM was established through a resolution adopted by the Syndicate of Calcutta University on 25 April, 1953. It was  the  first  Institute  in the  country  to  have  started  the University   Post  Graduate  Diploma   course  in  Business Management in July, 1954. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Government of India, in 1948 set up a joint committee for the purpose of examining the question of training in industrial administration and business management and to prepare the scheme for organizing such training in the country.  A  sub-committee  of  this  committee  under  the chairmanship of Sir Jehangir Ghandy was set up for preparing the scheme. On the suggestion of the Ghandy Committee and on the recommendation of the Board of Management Studies, AICTE  selected  IISWBM  as the centre for the course  in business management. The Institute began as the All India Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management and in 1958, it was registered as a society with its present name for being managed by an autonomous council. This facilitated receipt of financial assistance from Government of India which continued to support the Institute financially and otherwise till  1991. Government of West Bengal has taken over this responsibility ever since.

The Institute has two blocks - Administrative and Academic, having a total floor area of 1235.41 sq.m. The foundation stone of the Academic Block was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 30 November, 1958. Since 1958 the Institute has been run by a Board  of Governors which includes, among others, the Vice Chancellor and the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Finance), University of Calcutta, Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Government of West Bengal, representatives from the four Chambers of Commerce, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and the AICTE as members.

The Institute conducts several prestigious courses, the most important being the Masters in Business Management that is affiliated to the University of Calcutta. The courses on Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) and Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management were started in 1990 and 1992 respectively. In 1993 was started the Post Graduate Diploma Course in Public Systems Management with specialization in Health Care and Management, Transport and Logistics Management, Environment Management and Energy Management. All the courses are approved by the AICTE, the statutory body of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

The Institute boasts of distinguished alumni who are renowned nationally and internationally for their contribution in their respective areas. Some such eminent people include Prof. Sumantra Ghoshal of London Business School, Shri L.N. Mittal of the ISPAT group, Shri Sudhir Jalan, former President of FICCI and Dr. C.V. Chandrasekaran, Managing Director of the Balmer Lawrie group.

Despite the mushrooming growth of management institutes, IISWBM continues with an unsullied image of the oldest of Management Institutes of lndia imparting education impeccable in quality and exemplary in standard. The Department of Posts honours fifty years of the existence of the Institute through the release of this commemorative postage stamp.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India