Cabinet approves bill for single higher education regulator, replacing UGC, AICTE

Guwahati: The Union Cabinet has approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, which proposes a single regulator for higher education in India.

This new authority will replace existing bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The bill, previously known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, is set to be introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

The move aligns with recommendations under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which called for a unified regulator to simplify governance and oversight of higher education.

The proposed regulator will combine the functions of the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE into a single body responsible for academic regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards for higher education institutions, except for medical and legal colleges.

Funding and financial management will continue to be handled by the administrative ministry rather than the regulator itself.

The concept of a single higher education regulator has been under discussion for several years.

An earlier draft of the HECI Bill, circulated in 2018, sought to repeal the UGC Act and create a central commission, but it faced resistance due to concerns over centralisation and excessive authority.

The current bill represents a renewed attempt to implement the NEP 2020 vision, with a framework that also covers technical and teacher education.

NEP 2020 had proposed separating regulatory functions into different verticals, including regulation, accreditation, academic standards, and funding, to reduce overlap and improve efficiency while maintaining accountability.

The new bill retains the central role of a unified authority but keeps financial control with the government, reflecting a partial adaptation of the policy’s suggested structure.