Congress argued that the proposed overhaul of the regulatory construction dilutes UGC’s consultative necessities and expands the brand new construction’s powers, signalling a “tighter control” over greater academic establishments.
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The proposed laws to restructure the regulatory framework of upper schooling represents constitutional overreach by the Union authorities, the Congress mentioned on Thursday (March 19, 2026). The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, was launched with out consulting States, bureaucratises greater schooling, and palms over grant-giving powers to the Education Ministry that’s managed by politicians, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh mentioned, in a press release explaining the social gathering’s opposition to the Bill.
Mr. Ramesh added {that a} Parliamentary panel has flagged a excessive variety of vacancies at present regulatory our bodies, together with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The Bill proposes to subsume these our bodies and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) right into a single 12-member Commission, beneath which three separate Regulatory, Accreditation, and Standards Councils will function.
“This concerning news comes at a time when there is already a move to restructure the architecture of higher education regulation through the VBSA Bill, 2025,” Mr. Ramesh mentioned.
Encroaching on State powers
Though the Centre has cited Entry 66 of the Union List within the Constitution to defend its proper to introduce the Bill, the laws provides the proposed new umbrella Commission “powers beyond this scope and specifically encroaches on State government powers”, he added.
The Bill seeks to divide UGC’s grant-giving powers from the regulatory construction to minimise conflicts of curiosity, with the federal government saying future funding mechanisms shall be designed by the Education Ministry. The Congress expressed concern on the absence of a separate funding council inside the new structure, as this entails handing over grant-giving powers to the Ministry, which could possibly be topic to political affect.
Earlier this week, nonetheless, the Ministry knowledgeable the Joint Committee of Parliament inspecting the Bill {that a} UGC-like grant-giving energy shall be devised and adopted beneath the Shiksha Adhishthan construction itself.
Tighter management
Mr. Ramesh famous that beneath the VBSA Bill, Member Secretaries will do the “executive running” of the Commission and the three Councils beneath it; beneath the present system, nonetheless, it’s teachers who run our bodies just like the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE.
The Congress additionally warned that bringing institutes of nationwide significance, such because the IITs, IIMs, and NITs, beneath the ambit of the VBSA Bill may threaten their autonomy. The Bill solely speaks of the autonomy of those establishments being protected, with out providing any particular particulars, the assertion mentioned.
It additionally argued that the proposed overhaul of the regulatory construction dilutes UGC’s consultative necessities and expands the brand new construction’s powers, signalling a “tighter control” over greater academic establishments.
Published – March 19, 2026 07:45 pm IST
