Parliamentary panel flags autonomy risks in Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill
A joint committee of Parliament has said the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 could concentrate extensive regulatory powers in a single central regulator and
A joint committee of Parliament has said the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 could concentrate extensive regulatory powers in a single central regulator and affect the autonomy of higher education institutions. In its draft report circulated to members, the panel also said the graded penalty system proposed in the bill cannot be imposed arbitrarily. The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last year and later referred to the joint committee, proposes a major overhaul of India’s higher education sector. It seeks to dissolve the University Grants Commission, the All India Council for Technical Education and the Council for Teacher Education, and replace them with a single unified regulatory commission. On Thursday, the government listed the bill for consideration and passage after the report is adopted.
Read Full Story Quoting the draft report, the committee said, "The Committee expressed apprehension that concentration of extensive regulatory powers in a single central regulator could lead to bureaucratic or ideological overreach, thereby affecting the institutional autonomy presently available under the existing UGC framework." It also noted that while the bill proposes a graded penalty architecture, penalties cannot be imposed arbitrarily by the Regulatory Council. The committee said penalties must be linked to proven violations of norms and that the purpose of the penalty system is to strengthen deterrence against institutions that habitually and repeatedly violate norms. It observed that, on individual and institutional accountability, the bill removes the "corporate veil" often used by promoters of fraudulent institutions.
It further said that even for legitimate higher education institutions, repeat contraventions could lead to the removal of specific personnel found responsible for the violation, shifting the burden of compliance onto individual leaders and trustees. The panel also recommended that the ministry frame rules to ensure that the process of filling predictable vacancies, such as those arising from retirement or superannuation, begins at least six months in advance and is completed within 90 days of the vacancy arising. It accepted that the presidents and full-time members of the council should be appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the search-cum-selection committee. However, for other members of the commission and councils, except e officio members and the member secretary, it suggested that appointments should be made by the Central Government instead of by the President on the recommendations of the Central Government, saying many central institutions currently suffer because of delays in appointments and the long time involved in the process.
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