IITs TO CREATE ADDITIONAL SEATS TO ADMIT MORE WOMEN

NEW DELHI: IITs will admit more than 1,400 women from next year, the top admissions body decided on Saturday, in a move aimed at rectifying gender balance in the country’s premier institutes.

A meeting of the joint admission board of IITs recommended an increase of 600 seats – a hike of 14% -- in the number of seats allotted to women, taking the total quota to 1,440 seats.

Officials, however, said the exact number could vary and will be decided on a year to year basis.

The committee also recommended awarding merit scholarships regardless of parental income to all female students based on merit. However, this has to be approved by the IIT council.

The quota increase will be from the “supernumerary” or excess seats, in the IITs, a senior HRD official said.

The quota will be increased every academic year from 2018 till the number of female students touched 20%.

Currently, women make up just 8% of the student strength at 23 IITs across the country.

The increase won’t affect the existing number of seats for male candidates and the changes will be implemented over a maximum of eight years.

“The 20% supernumerary seats will be filled by female candidates who have cleared JEEAdvanced... so merit is followed,” said another official.