NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday raised serious concerns over the new Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, listing seven key issues, including constitutional overreach, absence of a funding council, lack of consultation with state governments, bureaucratisation of higher education, and dilution of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) consultative requirements.
In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Bill seeks to “restructure” the architecture of higher education. The legislation is currently under consideration by the Joint Committee of Parliament. He referred to the Committee on Education’s annual Demand for Grants report, presented on Wednesday, which revealed a high number of vacancies in key regulatory bodies, such as the UGC and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). “This comes at a time when there is already a move to restructure higher education regulation through the VBSA Bill, 2025,” he said.
Ramesh claimed the ministry did not consult states while drafting the Bill, despite education being part of the Concurrent List. The legislation directly impacts state universities. He noted that the Bill is being introduced under the Union List, which allows Parliament to coordinate and determine standards in higher education and research institutions.
However, he argued that other constitutional provisions limit Parliament’s power. Entry 44 of the Union List prohibits the House from making laws on the incorporation, regulation, and winding up of universities. Entry 32 of the State List gives this power to state legislatures. “The Bill, therefore, violates the federal structure of the Constitution,” Ramesh said.
He criticised the Bill for departing from NEP 2020, which envisioned a Higher Education Council of India with four verticals. The VBSA Bill proposes only three councils and leaves out a separate grant-giving council. He said this centralises grant powers, taking them away from autonomous bodies like UGC and AICTE, which are governed by academics placing them under a ministry.
Currently, the UGC, AICTE, and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) are administered by academics. The Bill proposes that the councils be run by member secretaries appointed by the ministry. “The administration of education should be done by academics, not bureaucrats,” he said.
The VBSA Bill also includes Institutes of National Importance (INIs), such as the IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs, and IISERs, which have historically enjoyed autonomy. Under the IIT Act, 1961, these institutions can create their own academic programmes without additional approvals. Ramesh expressed concern that the Bill could undermine this autonomy.