Congress urges NDA State governments to resist Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said NDA-ruled states should oppose the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill during the Monsoon Session.
AI generated- The proposed Bill is being discussed in Parliament during the Monsoon Session and has drawn criticism over higher education governance.
- Entry 66 is cited as the constitutional basis for Union power to coordinate and determine standards in higher education.
- The National Education Policy, 2020 is cited as having envisaged a Higher Education Council of India with a grants-related vertical.
- The University Grants Commission is cited as one of the bodies that currently exercise grant-disbursal authority in higher education.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has asked NDA-ruled states, especially Andhra Pradesh, to oppose the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill when it is taken up in Parliament during the Monsoon Session. He wants these states to file dissent notes and resist what he described as the “Very Bad Shiksha Act”.
The dispute centres on higher education governance, constitutional powers, and the control of grants. Ramesh argues that the Bill goes beyond Parliament’s powers under Entry 66 of the Union List and would weaken the role of existing regulatory bodies.
UPSC may examine whether the proposed institutional design respects constitutional limits on Union power in higher education and how grant-making and regulation should be distributed between Union and state-level bodies.
