NDA-ruled States, universities object to centralisation provisions in Shiksha Adhishthan Bill

Published 9 July 2026 · india

NDA-ruled States, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Meghalaya, are among those that have raised objections to provisions in the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill

NDA-ruled States, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Meghalaya, are among those that have raised objections to provisions in the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, telling a parliamentary panel that the proposed legislation would centralise powers over higher education regulation. The Bill proposes a structural overhaul of higher education in the country by repealing the statutory Acts governing the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and replacing them with a single apex body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA). The Bill is currently under review by a joint parliamentary committee headed by BJP MP D. Purandeswari. The Hindu accessed submissions made to the parliamentary panel, which is in the final stages of preparing its report. Apart from State governments, Central and State universities and institutes also criticised the Bill in their submissions to the panel. They have expressed concern about the Centre’s powers under the proposed law, the absence of State representation in the regulatory structure, a lack of clarity about its scope, and worries about the transition process as the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE are wound up. Bypassing States Some of the strongest objections came from Andhra Pradesh, which is ruled by the Telugu Desam Party, a BJP ally.

Andhra Pradesh argued that many of the provisions in the Bill could make the State’s legislative competence in higher education “a dead letter”. It has sought mandatory consultation with State governments before decisions affecting State universities are taken. The State also cautioned against Clause 11 that allows the Regulatory Council to bypass State universities in granting degrees, saying it could lead to “constitutional friction”. Also Read A Bill that reimagines higher education regulation The State government further suggested a clause explicitly preventing the Centre from taking action prejudicial to the autonomy, functioning, and governance of State institutes and universities. It also proposed mandatory consultation with the State before any action is taken against a State institution. BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has also raised concerns over what it described as limited State representation in the proposed regulatory council. The Meghalaya government — led by the People’s Party, which is a BJP ally — recommended an explicit provision defining the respective powers of the Centre and the States. It proposed that the Centre be responsible for coordination, standards, accreditation, and quality assurance, while States retain authority over the establishment, governance, administration, staffing, financing, and overall functioning of State universities. ‘Arbitrary interventions’ Central universities and institutes such as the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the Central University of Rajasthan and the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Chittoor, as well as State universities in Assam, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir, have objected to provisions that they say could increase centralisation.