In a first step to mend fences with the parliamentary standing committee, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has decided to make amendments to the National Academic Depository Bill-2011.
Sources said the amendments to the National Academic Depository Bill-2011 would be placed before the Union Cabinet for its approval on Thursday. The National Academic Depository Bill-2011 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 5 last year and was referred to the department-related standing committee on the Human Resource Development.
The Bill seeks to establish a national database of academic awards in an electronic format, which can be verified and authenticated. In its report submitted to the Parliament, the standing committee has made several recommendations and even suggested change in the name of the Bill, saying that the National Academic Depository can very well be called National Academic Repository.
The sources said Sibal, who could not get many Bills passed in the Parliament for rejecting the recommendations of the standing committee, has decided to accept some of the major recommendations of the committee on this Bill so as to get the Bill passed at the earliest.
The HRD Ministry wanted to move the Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament for its consideration and get it passed. The standing committee strongly advocated the need for inclusion of professional awards -- such as medical, engineering, architecture, nursing, dental, chartered accountancy, company secretary and so on under the proposed legislation. The definition of ‘academic award’ may be modified accordingly so as to cover all such recognised professional qualifications. If need be, separate definition for such qualifications may be formulated.
The standing committee also said, “Like in the case of academic awards, where degrees/certificates conferring professional qualifications have also to be brought under the ambit of the NAD, the same analogy should be made applicable in the case of diplomas.”