What happened

The Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill heard universities and higher-education institutions ask the Centre to clarify how grants will be disbursed after the proposed new regulatory structure comes into force.

The Bill proposes to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single umbrella commission and separate councils for regulation, accreditation and standards.

Background and earlier position

Under the existing framework, the UGC is the main statutory channel for central development grants to universities, including many state universities that depend on central support. Institutions raised the issue because the Bill removes grant-giving powers from the regulator.

What changed now