2 months ago
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Months aft introducing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, with a superior nonsubjective to abstracted grants-disbursal powers from the higher acquisition regulatory model to minimise struggle of interest, the Education Ministry seems to person changed its mind.
On Tuesday (March 17, 2026), it told the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Bill that a UGC-like grants-disbursal mechanics volition present beryllium “devised and adopted under” the projected Shiksha Adhishthan, without offering immoderate circumstantial details.
This came adjacent arsenic Opposition MPs connected the committee slammed the Bill successful its existent form, terming it “skeletal”. They besides questioned the authorities astir the expanding centralisation of higher acquisition regularisation projected successful the Bill, the sidelining of State practice which volition beryllium decided by the Centre, and the aboriginal backing mechanics for nationalist universities. The authorities insisted that the Bill promotes “cooperative federalism”, arguing that it offers much practice to State governments and institutions than the existing framework.
The Bill, introduced successful December 2025, seeks to regenerate the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Teacher Education, successful an overhaul of India’s higher acquisition regulatory operation driven by the National Education Policy, 2020.
Conflicts of interest
However, the Education Ministry has present submitted that the grants-disbursal powers that the UGC presently exercises will, successful fact, travel “under” the Shiksha Adhishthan.
Ministry officials told the panel, led by BJP MP D. Purandeshwari, that the UGC presently disburses monthly grants to Central Universities from funds released to it by the Department of Higher Education. It besides releases funds nether its ain schemes, based connected prime standards, accreditation status, and NIRF ranking.
“Similar qualitative processes/systems shall beryllium devised and adopted nether Shiksha Adhishthan,” the authorities told the panel.
In the Bill introduced successful Parliament past December, however, the Education Ministry had said, “It is projected to support the backing to the centrally funded higher acquisition institutes retired of the purview of the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan... to guarantee that the Standards Council, Regulatory Council and the Accreditation Council afloat discharge their circumstantial domain functions.”
Officials had said this was being done consciously to minimise conflicts of interest, adding that the Ministry would devise a mechanics for backing universities successful owed time.
Undermining federalism
The Joint Committee, which held its 4th sitting connected Tuesday, has 12 members from the BJP and 10 members from Opposition parties, including the Congress, the DMK, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the Shiv Sena (UBT).
During this sitting, MPs from the Congress, DMK, and Trinamool Congress raised concerns astir centralised power nether the projected structure, arguing that adjacent though determination is practice from States, it is the Centre that selects the State representatives. This would let the Centre to acceptable up a “super-regulator”, they said, informing that this was against the principles of federalism.
Skeletal Bill
Opposition members besides argued that the projected authorities is “skeletal” successful nature, requiring astir of the details to beryllium figured retired by the authorities during the drafting of the Rules. Some members argued this was akin to asking that the Bill beryllium approved without presenting the full scope of what the authorities plans to do.
On funding, the Opposition members expressed concerns astir backing to nationalist universities becoming babelike connected loans and borrowing, citing the ongoing implementation of the Higher Education Funding Agency structure. This volition yet walk the fiscal load to students, they warned, making higher acquisition accessible lone to the affluent.
In its submissions to the Joint Committee, the Education Ministry maintained that it is bringing this projected regulatory model nether Entry 66 of the Union database successful the Constitution, the aforesaid proviso that allowed it to present the UGC Act, 1956.
