New Delhi: A joint committee of Parliament has raised concerns that the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 could concentrate extensive regulatory powers in a single central authority, potentially undermining the institutional autonomy currently available under the existing higher education framework.
The observations are part of the draft report of the joint parliamentary committee circulated to its members ahead of the bill being taken up for consideration and passage after the report is adopted.
Introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last year, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill seeks to overhaul India’s higher education regulatory system by replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single unified regulatory commission.
The legislation aims to implement the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 by restructuring higher education governance into three specialised councils responsible for regulation, accreditation and standards.
“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,” the draft report said.
The committee also examined the bill’s proposed graded penalty architecture and stressed that penalties should not be imposed arbitrarily by the Regulatory Council.
“Penalties are linked to proven violations of norms. The main purpose of having a penalty system is to strengthen deterrence against institutions which habitually and repeatedly violate the norms… The Committee observe that, on the aspect of Individual and Institutional Accountability the provisions of the Bill remove the “corporate veil” often used by promoters of fraudulent institutions.
“Furthermore, even for legitimate HEIs (higher education institutions), Repeat Contraventions now carry the risk of the removal of specific personnel found responsible for the violation, shifting the burden of compliance onto individual leaders and trustees,” it said.
The panel also recommended that the Ministry of Education frame rules to ensure predictable vacancies arising from retirement or superannuation are identified at least six months in advance, with appointments completed within 90 days after a vacancy occurs.
On appointments, the committee agreed that the President of India should appoint the president and full-time members of the commission based on the recommendations of the search-cum-selection committee.
“However, in case of the other Members of the Commission and the Councils, other than the ex-officio Members and Member Secretary of the Commission and the Councils the Committee suggested that they may be appointed by the Central Government rather than by the President of India on the recommendations of the Central Government, as in present day time many central institutions are suffering because of delay in appointment of the Members and the involvement long gestation of time period,” it said.
PTI