Joint Committee meeting on Viksit Bharat Siksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025 begins
New Delhi, May 19
The meeting of the Joint Committee on Viksit Bharat Siksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025 commenced on Tuesday. The meeting will be attended by Janata Dal United's Sanjay Kumar Jha, Biju Janata Dal's Sasmit Patra and Bhartiya Janata Party's Bansuri Swaraj and Sudhanshu Trivedi.
The Committee will focus on hearing the views of domain experts.
Notably, the Director of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Shireesh Kedare, the Vice-Chancellor of SASTRA Deemed University, S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University, Ananya Mukherjee, and the Director of IITDM are expected to present their opinions during the meeting.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill 2025 has faced severe opposition since its proposal.
Previously, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had raised concerns that it could have a grave impact on the academic autonomy of Institutes of National Importance (INIs), which include the IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs, and IISERs.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, is a part of the Centre's plan to restructure higher education regulation by replacing existing bodies with a new framework. Introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025, the proposed legislation is currently under review by a parliamentary panel.
Further details are expected to be revealed at the conclusion of the meeting.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm cautiously optimistic. The current system has too many regulatory bottlenecks — UGC, AICTE, NCTE all overlapping. A single framework might streamline things. But the devil is in the details. Need to hear what domain experts say before forming an opinion.
Another bureaucratic reshuffle posing as reform? I've seen this movie before. India's education sector needs faculty empowerment and research funding, not just renaming committees. Hope the committee actually listens to the VCs and directors.
As a parent of a JEE aspirant, I'm worried. The IITs and IIMs are our gold standard. Why fix what isn't broken? Jairam Ramesh raised valid concerns about academic autonomy. The government should ensure this bill doesn't become a tool for political interference. 🙏
Interesting that they're including IIT Bombay and SASTRA VCs — both highly respected institutions. But why not more representation from central universities and state colleges? Higher education in India needs a holistic approach, not just elite institute inputs.
Honestly, I'd rather see them focus on improving school education and vocational training. All these bills about IITs and IIMs only help the top 1%. What about the millions in government colleges and rural areas? That's where real change is needed.
R