Won’t infringe on powers of state: Pradhan on edu regulator

Union Education Minister Pradhan reassured that the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill won't threaten state universities' autonomy amid opposition concerns.

NEW DELHI: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday sought to allay opposition concerns over the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, asserting that state universities would continue to function as they do now and that there was “no threat to institutional autonomy”. He also clarified that funding support from both the Centre and states would continue, with regulatory and funding roles being clearly separated to avoid conflicts of interest.

Won’t infringe on powers of state: Pradhan on edu regulator

“There is no threat to institutional autonomy and even if the opposition has some concerns or misconceptions about the bill, they can be addressed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The powers with the states will remain as they are at present. The functioning of state universities will remain the same,” Pradhan said at a press conference, adding that the bill seeks to bring “seamlessness in regulation.”

His clarifications come a day after the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday and faced allegations of “centralisation of higher education” from Opposition members.

The bill, which seeks to set up a 12-member Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan as single higher education regulator, was referred to the JPC on Tuesday following objections raised by opposition MPs, who argued that it weakens the powers of state governments.

Pradhan said, the 31-member JPC will comprise 21 Lok Sabha members nominated by the Speaker and 10 Rajya Sabha members nominated by the Chairman of the Upper House. The committee has been asked to submit its report by the last day of the first part of the Budget Session in 2026.

Approved by the cabinet on December 12, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 — earlier called the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill — aims to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). It also seeks to regulate the establishment of higher educational institutes, imposing a fine of ₹2 crore on those who set up universities without proper government approval.

Defending the legislation, Pradhan said the bill aims to establish a “uniform pattern” of regulation, standard-setting and accreditation in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“There are multiple regulators, standard-setting bodies and accreditation bodies. The makers of the NEP noted that, if we are to bring higher education to global standards, the Act needs to be amended,” Pradhan said. He said UGC created in 1956, functioned as a regulator, standard-setter and accreditor, leading to “conflict of interest and a lack of objectivity”. Subsequent laws such as the AICTE Act in the 1980s and the NCTE Act in the 1990s further added to the multiplicity of oversight bodies, he said.

Under the proposed framework, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan will house three autonomous councils — the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad (regulatory council), the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad (accreditation council) and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad (standards council). “All three councils will be autonomous, and Shiksha Adhisthan will work for coordination,” Pradhan said.

The 12-member commission will include the presidents of each council, the Union higher education secretary, two eminent academicians from state higher education institutions, five distinguished experts, and a member secretary, the bill proposes. All appointments will be made by the Centre through a three-member search panel, the bill states.

Pradhan said over the last decade, India’s higher education system has undergone significant change, but to make institutions “global standard,” they must be more flexible and enjoy greater autonomy, backed by an appropriate legal framework. He said the older system was overly rigid and input-driven, limiting innovation and outcomes while proposed reforms aim to focus on learning outcomes, quality benchmarks and objective standards. “What should be taught, what constitutes quality, and which institutions can be called universities must be decided through transparent and objective criteria,” he said.

On funding, Pradhan reiterated that both the Centre and states would continue to support higher education and research. “However, regulatory functions and funding mechanisms would be separated to avoid conflicts of interest, with funding decisions handled through transparent and objective processes by the ministry,” he said.

For the first time, he said, a structured central forum with state participation had been created to ensure cooperative federalism.

Earlier on Monday, Congress MP Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha said the bill led to “excessive centralisation of higher education” and violated the constitutional distribution of legislative powers. RSP MP NK Premachandran objected to the “nomenclature of the Bill”, stressing that the authoritative text “shall be in English”, and warned against the “centralization of the power with the Centre”.