Higher education Bill may lead to concentration of powers in single central regulator: House panel
A parliamentary committee has expressed concerns that the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, may centralize too much power and threaten the autonomy of higher education institutions. The bill aims to replace existing bodies like the UGC and AICTE with a single unified regulator, prompting calls for stricter rules on penalty enforcement and administrative appointments.
Why it matters
This legislation represents a major structural overhaul of India's higher education governance, potentially impacting the academic freedom and operational independence of universities nationwide.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 will lead to the concentration of extensive regulatory powers in a single central regulator, thereby affecting the institutional autonomy, a joint committee of Parliament has noted.
According to the draft report of the joint panel circulated to members, the graded penalty architecture proposed in the Bill cannot be imposed arbitrarily.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last year, following which it was referred to a joint committee of Parliament.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 proposes a massive overhaul of India's higher education sector by dissolving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to create a single, unified regulatory commission.
On Thursday, the government listed the Bill for consideration and passage after the report is adopted.
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