India, Aug. 14 -- A total of 1,03,115 students have secured admission to first-year diploma engineering courses across the state, marking a 93% seat occupancy rate, according to officials. Authorities attribute this trend to the growing popularity of skill-based and technical courses over traditional education paths.

On Wednesday, the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) extended the admission deadline from August 14 to September 4 to accommodate more aspiring students. The extension aims to benefit students who passed the supplementary SSC exams.

Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister, attributed the surge in admissions to several initiatives undertaken by the DTE. These include targeted awareness ...