New Delhi: The Union government is preparing to introduce a sweeping reform of higher education regulation through the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament during the current winter session.
According to reports, the proposed legislation seeks to replace existing regulators such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education with a single umbrella authority.
At the heart of the Bill is the creation of a 12-member Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA), supported by three distinct councils responsible for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.
The move represents one of the most significant overhauls of India’s higher education governance framework in decades.
A key change proposed in the Bill is the removal of the UGC’s role in disbursing grants.
Funding for higher education institutions would instead be managed through mechanisms designed by the Ministry of Education, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s call for a “light but tight” regulatory structure that separates funding from oversight.
According to reports, the new law will cover all central and state universities, colleges and higher education institutions, including institutes of national importance and institutes of eminence. However, professional courses such as medicine, law, dentistry, nursing, pharmacology and veterinary sciences have been kept outside its ambit.
The Bill also grants the VBSA strong enforcement powers, including graded financial penalties, suspension of degree-awarding authority and even closure of institutions for repeated violations.
Similar proposals in the past, notably the 2018 HECI Bill, had faced strong opposition, and the latest move is expected to revive concerns around centralisation and financial autonomy.
Discussion about this post