Summary points:
The Lok Sabha passed a resolution by voice vote to send the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill to a joint committee of Parliament.
The Bill aims to streamline higher education regulation by replacing multiple regulators with a single commission overseeing central universities and institutes of national importance.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday adopted a resolution to refer a Bill proposing the creation of a 13-member body to regulate higher education institutions to a joint committee of Parliament.
The motion was moved by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and was approved by a voice vote in the House.
While introducing the legislation on Monday, the government said it wanted the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill to be examined by a joint committee of both Houses.
As per the resolution passed on Tuesday, the joint panel will consist of 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, and is mandated to submit its report by the last day of the first part of the Budget Session, 2026.
The Budget Session generally begins on January 31 with the President’s address to a joint sitting of the two Houses, with its first phase usually concluding around February 10, followed by a month-long recess.
The Bill states that it seeks to address challenges faced by higher education institutions arising from the multiplicity of regulators and non-harmonised approval protocols.
It proposes a higher education commission, to be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, which will have jurisdiction over all central universities and colleges, as well as institutes of national importance under the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs and IIITs.
