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The Union Cabinet has endorsed a bill to create a single higher education regulator that will replace existing bodies such as the UGC and AICTE.
This 31-member committee, comprising members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, was formed on Tuesday. (File Photo)
The joint committee of Parliament, created to review the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, has received an extension from the Lok Sabha to submit its report by the final week of the Monsoon session, reported PTI.
This 31-member committee, consisting of members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, was formed on Tuesday. A resolution proposed by the committee chairperson, D Purandeshwari, to extend the deadline for the committee’s report on the VBSA to the first day of the last week of the Monsoon session was approved by a voice vote.
The Union Cabinet has approved a bill to establish a single higher education regulator to replace existing bodies such as the UGC and AICTE. Initially named the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, it is now called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.
As outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP), this new regulatory body aims to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
The Bill proposes the creation of a new apex body named the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, supported by three separate councils: the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad as the Regulatory Council, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad as the Accreditation Council, and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad as the Standards Council.
The new commission will handle regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards, but medical and law colleges will not fall under its jurisdiction. Funding, considered a fourth aspect, will remain with the administrative ministry.
The proposed legislation was approved by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 12, 2025, before its introduction in Parliament.
However, a group of teachers from central universities and various academic associations have opposed the Bill, arguing that the proposed law might undermine university autonomy, public funding of higher education, and teachers’ service conditions.
February 12, 2026, 13:25 IST
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