AICTE, UGC told to create supernumerary seats for differently-abled: Govt

New Delhi: The HRD ministry on Monday said it has directed All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) to create 5 per cent supernumerary seats for the differently-abled in all schemes of skill development.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said her ministry has initiated provisions to assist differently-abled students.

She said that HRD ministry "has directed All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) to create 5 per cent supernumerary (extra) seats for differently-abled persons in all schemes of skill development."

In a written reply to another question, Irani said that a project 'Swayam' of her ministry is intended to provide Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) across the country.

"It is proposed to roll out 500 courses before academic year 2016-17, and expand the same to 2,000 courses over a period of time," she said.