NEW DELHI: After abruptly calling off the adoption of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 last month, the panel has convened its next meeting on Monday. However, the notice issued to members makes no mention of whether the report will be taken up for adoption.
The meeting comes amid speculation over whether the government will table the contentious Higher Education Bill during the ongoing Monsoon Session, as it figured in the Centre's provisional legislative agenda.
The joint panel led by BJP MP D Purandeswari was scheduled to adopt its report on July 20 before presenting it to Parliament. However, the meeting was cancelled without any official explanation.
The latest notice dated July 30 says that the August 3 meeting has been convened for "internal deliberations". According to sources, members from both the Opposition and the ruling NDA on the panel have sought clarity on the purpose of the meeting. While a draft report had earlier been circulated, MPs are yet to receive the final version.
The VBSA Bill proposes a massive overhaul of India’s higher-education sector by dissolving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to create a single, unified regulatory commission.
Sources said the Centre is wary of bringing the legislation in the current political climate. "The thinking in the government is that with Parliament already witnessing ruckus over the NEET UG paper leak row and the alleged police action on protesting students, introducing another contentious education Bill could further intensify the agitation," a source said, adding that the panel may seek more time to present its report.
The VBSA Bill has invited strong Opposition from leading educational institutions, Opposition parties, and even some NDA-ruled states, including Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, over provisions giving sweeping powers to the Center over higher education.
According to the draft report circulated among members, the panel has recommended changes to key clauses that were widely criticised for centralising authority.
The JPC also sought safeguards against excessive centralisation, stronger consultation with states and protection of institutional autonomy in the proposed legislation. Addressing concerns that the Bill could undermine the statutory autonomy of IITs, IIMs, NITs, IISERs and other Institutions of National Importance, the panel recommended that these institutions be consulted before framing any rules that may affect their autonomy.
This is the second recent instance of a parliamentary panel deferring the adoption of a report. The JPC examining the Bill relating to the dismissal of Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers had also put off the adoption process midway through its meeting. On Friday, Parliament approved a motion extending the tenure of that committee until the first day of the last week of the Winter Session.
The Congress had slammed the Centre, saying that two JPCs on very controversial Bills - one of which requires Constitutional amendments and the other of which is a clear case of Constitutional overreach - have put off adopting their reports just days before the Monsoon session of Parliament began.