Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025

The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 seeks to overhaul India’s higher education regulatory architecture by creating a single umbrella body, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Bill aims to end multiplicity of regulators, reduce over-regulation, and introduce a “light but tight” regulatory framework.

Core Objective of the Bill

• Establish a single higher education regulator
• Separate funding functions from regulation, standard-setting, and accreditation
• Replace existing statutory bodies:
  • University Grants Commission (UGC)
  • All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
  • National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (Commission)

• Type: Apex coordinating body for higher education.
• Role: Strategic direction, coordination among councils, policy roadmap.
• Composition:
  • Chairperson: Eminent person, appointed by the President of India.
  • Members (up to 12):
    • Presidents of 3 councils
    • Higher Education Secretary (MoE)
    • 2 professors from state HEIs
    • 5 experts
• Functions:
  • Roadmap for multidisciplinary and research universities
  • Integrate Bharatiya knowledge, languages, and arts
  • Formulate and recommend education schemes

Councils Under the Commission

1. Regulatory Council (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad)
   • Role: Single regulator for higher education (excl. medicine, law, etc.)
   • Functions:
     • Mandatory accreditation & graded autonomy
     • Public disclosure of finances, courses, governance
     • Specify minimum standards for establishment & operations
     • Authorise institutions to grant degrees
     • Regulate select foreign universities
     • Revoke authorisation for violations
   • Penalties: ₹10 lakh – ₹2 crore; maximum penalty for unauthorised institutions
   • Exclusions: Cannot disburse grants or regulate fees
2. Standards Council (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad)
   • Functions:
     • Frame learning outcomes, qualification frameworks
     • Set academic & institutional standards
     • Define minimum staff qualifications
3. Accreditation Council (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad)
   • Functions:
     • Develop & supervise Institutional Accreditation Framework
     • Accreditation based on institutional data & public disclosures