IITs Request Government for Extra Time to Add EWS Quota Seats

The Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) have collectively requested the Government to grant them a period of one year to carry out the order of the government to add new seats to accommodate Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota students. It came into light that the IITs requested the Government to extend the deadline to add new seats to 2021.

All the IITs collectively approached the central government citing the challenge of maintaining physical distancing in the crowded hostels once they reopen. It was known that the HRD Ministry will seek request from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment who pushed the EWS quota proposal which later received approval from the Union Cabinet in 2019.

Till date, the IITs have increased their intake capacity for all the undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes by almost 6,700 seats.

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Other than the IITs, the NITs are also facing an infrastructural crunch. All the centrally funded educational institutions have been ordered to increase their intake capacity by 25% over a time period of two years to accommodate the EWS quota seats without affecting the number of seats already reserved for OBC, ST, SC and general category candidates. This decision is expected to add approximately 2 lakh more seats in all the centrally funded educational institutions.

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According to an IIT director, to accommodate the extra influx of students due to the increase in intake capacity, the institutes require new classrooms and hostels and the construction of classrooms and hostels have taken a hit due to the lockdown.