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AICTE Chairperson Anil Sahasrabudhe clarifying the reports claiming physics, chemistry and mathematics to not be compulsory for engineering programmes stated that these subjects will continue to be important but the state government or institutions will have the option to not offer these courses to students who have studied them in their class 12.

The clarification came following reports stating PCM subjects not mandatory to study engineering as per the AICTE issued Approval Handbook 2021-22.

Sahasrabudhe, while addressing the press conference, also mentioned that the students opting for streams like Agriculture or Textile Engineering, Biotechnology will have an option to not study PCM in Class 12.

According to the AICTE's revised rules, the candidates have to pass any of the three subjects from the list of 14 subjects provided by the technical regulator with a minimum of 45% marks in the Class 12 board exam to be eligible for admission into undergraduate engineering programmes. These subjects are Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Biotechnology, Electronics, Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics Practices, Technical Vocational subject, Business Studies, Engineering Graphics, Entrepreneurship.

The Approval Process Handbook 2021-22 also mentions the bridge courses such as physics, mathematics, engineering, drawing which will be provided by the universities for students with diverse backgrounds to achieve the desired outcome of the course.

Sahasrabudhe also informed, "Universities and the state government may continue to have the same three subjects of Maths, Physics and Chemistry, as mandatory. This is purely a window of opportunity which is open, but not restricting, or forcing or making it mandatory that any three subjects can and should be allowed".

The AICTE, on offering engineering programmes in the mother tongue, cited its survey showing that 42% of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year engineering students said that they would prefer to study these courses in their mother tongue. He added, "And, it is not the Hindi speaking students, but majority students from Tamil Nadu expressed the same". Students preferring Hindi was on second, third was Telugu, fourth and fifth was Marathi and Kannada respectively.