In a first for management courses in the country, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur has admitted more girls than boys this year.

In its new batch selected in 2022, IIM Raipur has 205 girls compared to 125 boys which has reversed the gender equation in favour of girls. Last year the institute admitted 146 boys as compared to 120 girls in its flagship management programme. The number of women now exceeds the number of men by 20%.

In most of the other IIMs the number of women students hovers at around 30%

The institute's admission process was gender-blind. No additional marks were doled out to women candidates.

"Our board of governors chairperson is a woman. Inside the campus, there is a fair amount of change we have brought about that is gender neutral…Raipur is also considered to be a safe location. Some of the women candidates abandoned better institutes and joined Raipur," a Times of India report cited the institute's director Ramkumar Kakani as saying.