Inclusive education push at IIT Delhi
IIT Delhi launches first PhD drive for SC ST candidate: For the first time in its history, IIT Delhi has launched a special PhD admission campaign for SC and ST candidates. This move aims to fill vacant reserved seats and improve representation in research programmes. The campaign has opened doors for applications until June 30, 2025.
This step was triggered by a parliamentary committee visit in April 2025, which reviewed how well the institute had implemented constitutional safeguards. The data they examined showed that, despite reservation policies, many seats for SC/ST candidates remained unfilled year after year.
Understanding the representation gap
Even with relaxed entry norms such as a minimum 5.5 CGPA and the possibility of qualifying via GATE, the number of SC/ST applications remained very low. Internal reviews found that many departments were not meeting the central reservation requirements of 15% for SC and 7.5% for ST.
Between 2015 and 2025, SC PhD enrolment in IIT Delhi rose slightly from 8.88% to 9.69%, while ST enrolment improved from just 0.97% to 3.28%. However, these figures still fall short of the national guidelines.
Key efforts to boost enrolment
The current drive has introduced several supportive measures:
- Department-level restrictions have been eased; only institute-wide minimum eligibility now matters.
- Students can apply to any department, regardless of current vacancies.
- Supernumerary seats have been introduced for qualified SC/ST applicants.
This inclusive approach means deserving candidates won’t be turned away due to limited department capacity. It’s also a signal to other institutions about the importance of proactive inclusion efforts.
Growing focus on constitutional mandates
This special drive is part of a wider move to ensure that public institutions comply with the constitutional mandate of social justice in education. Institutions like IITs carry the responsibility of ensuring that marginalised communities are not left out of India’s knowledge economy.
In other levels of study, SC/ST representation has been relatively better. Between 2015 and 2025, SC PG enrolment rose from 11.27% to 13.11%, and SC UG enrolment climbed from 13.85% to 14.92%. These trends show promise but also highlight the gap at the doctoral level.
Static Usthadian Current Affairs Table
IIT Delhi launches first PhD drive for SC ST candidates:
| Summary | Details |
| Why in the news | Special PhD Admission Drive for SC/ST Candidates |
| Institute | IIT Delhi |
| Trigger | Parliamentary Committee Visit April 2025 |
| Reservation norms | 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST in higher education |
| SC PhD enrolment trend | 8.88% (2015) → 9.69% (2025) |
| ST PhD enrolment trend | 0.97% (2015) → 3.28% (2025) |
| PG SC enrolment trend | 11.27% → 13.11% |
| UG SC enrolment trend | 13.85% → 14.92% |
| Special measures | Relaxed eligibility, cross-departmental entries, supernumerary admissions |
| Goal | Address representation gap, uphold constitutional mandates |
