India, Oct. 8 -- Between 2013 and 2020, women accounted for only 7% to 9% of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) students at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), even though they comprised 28% to 29% of undergraduate engineering students across India. The proportion rose significantly to nearly 20% by 2020 and has remained around that level since, thanks to the Supernumerary Seats Scheme (SSS), which changed the odds of women studying at the 23 IITs.

The scheme was introduced in 2018 to improve gender ratios among historically male-dominated undergraduate engineering students at the IITs. It creates additional seats rather than reducing the number available to male candidates. Under the scheme, seats are divided into "femal...