NEW DELHI: Over 8 lakh engineering seats remained vacant in 2014-15, the government said as it noted the surplus capacity in the sector while pointing to “competition among students due to limited seats” in government and reputed private institutions.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani said that “overall, there is surplus capacity in the engineering sector with 8,44,328 seats remaining vacant in 2015”.

However, she noted that “there is competition among students due to limited seats in government and reputed

Private institutions as compared to the number of applications”

Meanwhile, in a written response to another question, Irani said that her ministry is considering a proposal for the setting up of a National Academic Depository, which envisages online storage, verification and authentication of academic awards.

In her reply to another question, Irani said that all institutions of higher education have been requested to install solar rooftop systems.

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