IIT board approves quota for women students’ admissions from 2018 to combat gender imbalance

New Delhi: More girl students would get admission in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) from the 2018 academic session as the admission board on Saturday approved a 20% quota of supernumerary seats for women.

Concerned over the fall in the number of girl students getting admission to the IITs, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) had set up a panel last year, under the chairmanship of professor Timothy Gonsalves to find ways to improve the situation in the institutes, a human resources development (HRD) ministry official said.

The panel had earlier this year suggested creating up to 20% supernumerary seats for girls out of the total number of seats in the IITs. The recommendations were taken up during a meeting of the JAB on Saturday which approved the quota, the official said.

“The percentage of the supernumerary seats will be decided every year. The increase will not affect the existing number of seats for men and the changes would be implemented over a maximum of eight years. Also, the seats vacated by woman students will be filled by a woman candidates only,” a senior HRD ministry official said.

(PTI)

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