Quota in AICTE courses for Kashmiri Hindus

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has declared educational quota for children of Kashmiri migrants, Kashmiri pandits or Hindu families living in the Valley.

Students eligible for the benefit will get a relaxation in cut-off up to 10 per cent as well as the number of seats will be increased up to 5 per cent in each course for them, the AICTE notice issued on Thursday said, adding the new rules will be effective from the academic year 2020-21.

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Besides, at least one seat in merit quota in technical or professional institutions will be kept aside for students who belong to this category. The requirement of domicile is waived-off for Kashmiri migrants, but Kashmiri pandits or Kashmiri Hindus availing the facility need to produce a domicile certificate.

The guidelines for Kashmiri Hindus and pundits are mandatory for all educational institutes affiliated to AICTE which includes management, technical, and engineering colleges across India.

Considering the situation that has risen in the background of Covid-19 pandemic, the AICTE has allowed colleges to give admission to students without entrance exams like CAT, XAT, CMAT, ATMA, MAT, GMAT etc. “In many of the states, some of the above entrance tests could not be conducted due to fear of the spread of Coronavirus and there is no indication as to whether these tests are postponed or likely to be held or canceled etc,” the AICTE said in an official circular. Of course, this is a benefit extended to all students only for the upcoming academic session.