Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proposing a major overhaul of higher education regulation by establishing a single umbrella commission supported by three specialised councils. The legislation aims to replace the existing fragmented system involving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's vision for streamlined governance and greater institutional autonomy.
The bill creates the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan as an apex body to coordinate higher education growth, overseeing councils for regulation (Viniyaman Parishad), accreditation (Gunvatta Parishad), and academic standards (Manak Parishad). It seeks to enforce outcome-based accreditation, set expected learning outcomes, and grant graded autonomy to institutions, while addressing challenges like overlapping approvals and bureaucratic delays in the current multi-regulator framework.
Opposition members, including Congress MP Manish Tewari and TMC's Saugata Roy, criticised the bill's introduction, arguing it promotes excessive centralisation, erodes state powers and institutional independence, and interferes in administrative matters. The government has indicated willingness to refer the draft to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further scrutiny before finalisation.
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This reform, previously conceptualised as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, represents a renewed push under Minister Pradhan to implement NEP 2020's "light but tight" regulatory approach. By separating functions like regulation, accreditation, and standard-setting, while keeping funding outside the new body's purview, the bill aims to foster excellence, transparency, and innovation in higher education institutions across India, excluding medical and legal fields.
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