Parliamentary panel defers final meeting on higher education Bill amid Andhra Pradesh’s objections
Parliament’s Joint Committee reviewing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, has deferred its meeting, originally scheduled for Friday- (July 17, 2026) to finalise its
Parliament’s Joint Committee reviewing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, has deferred its meeting, originally scheduled for Friday- (July 17, 2026) to finalise its report, to July 20. According to sources, the rescheduling follows objections raised by the Andhra Pradesh government — which is ruled by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a BJP ally — to several provisions of the proposed legislation. The Bill proposes a restructuring of higher education regulation in India by replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single apex body, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA).
Impact on State universities The Hindu had reported that the Andhra Pradesh government had argued that 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 has also objected to Clause 11, which allows the Regulatory Council to bypass State universities in granting degrees, saying it could lead to “constitutional friction”. The Andhra Pradesh government has further proposed a clause explicitly preventing the Centre from taking any action prejudicial to the autonomy, functioning, and governance of State institutes and universities.
It has also sought mandatory consultation with the State before any action is taken against any State institution. TDP’s reservations It is learnt that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held an informal meeting on Tuesday with committee chairperson and BJP MP D. Purandeswari and a few other members to discuss the concerns raised. The TDP conveyed its reservations during the meeting, following which it was decided that the draft report would be reviewed again. “If we find something amiss that needs attention, we will obviously flag it. We have done it in the past with the Waqf Bill and also in the ongoing consultations on the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
We recommended that the list of offences warranting automatic suspension of a public office holder should be specified,” a senior TDP leader said. The TDP Parliamentary Party is scheduled to meet on Friday to finalise its strategy for the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on July 20.
The BriefWire