Published Jul 21, 2026 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 21, 2026 | 11:07 AM
Synopsis: The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan ignores the states and aims to concentrate sweeping higher education powers with the Centre. It’s a reckless gamble and must be opposed by the states in every possible way.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill 2025 represents a brazen and dangerous assault on India’s federal structure.
Introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2025, the Bill masquerades as a bold reform for higher education. In truth, it aggressively dismantles the constitutional balance between the Centre and the states. By creating a powerful single apex Commission that swallows the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE, the legislation hands overwhelming authority to the Union government.
Three councils will control regulation, accreditation, and standards. The government touts this as fulfilment of the National Education Policy 2020. Yet the Bill is, in essence, delivering a devastating blow to federalism. It ruthlessly weakens state powers in a critical sector and threatens to turn higher education into a tightly controlled central domain.
Education features on the Concurrent List. This demands a genuine partnership between the Centre and the states. States have long exercised vital authority over universities. They establish institutions, craft policies, and tackle region-specific challenges. The VBSA Bill brutally upends this balance.
It concentrates appointment powers in the Centre. Appeals flow directly to the Union government. The Centre can issue binding directions and even override the Commission. These provisions brutally suppress the legitimate role of states. They strip states of their constitutional voice in higher education. This is not reform. It is brutal centralisation that endangers the very foundations of Indian federalism.
The threat to the federal structure is profound and alarming.
India is an enormously diverse country. States confront vastly different educational realities. Some prioritise regional languages and cultural education. Others battle severe access problems in remote or backward areas. A rigid, centralised regime cannot possibly address this diversity. It brutally ignores local industries, social needs, and unique development priorities.
State universities constitute the backbone of the system. They educate the vast majority of students. They fuel regional growth and social justice. When states are marginalised, these vital institutions face ruin. Policies imposed from Delhi will inevitably fail to match local ground realities. This reckless centralisation will breed deep resentment and inefficiency. It mercilessly undermines the cooperative federalism that has sustained the nation.
This attack on federalism also devastates institutional autonomy. The Bill dangles the promise of graded autonomy for better institutions. In practice, the Regulatory Council seizes sweeping powers. It dictates standards for setting up institutions. It tightly controls degree-granting rights. Central approval remains compulsory for critical decisions. Hard-won freedoms enjoyed by some universities stand at risk of being crushed.
Genuine autonomy demands ironclad statutory protections. These must safeguard curriculum decisions, faculty recruitment, admissions, and internal governance. Without them, institutions remain trapped in chains of central diktat. The Bill further destroys autonomy by refusing a dedicated funding mechanism. Colleges and universities will stay financially enslaved to the Centre. This financial stranglehold destroys any hope of real independence.
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Accreditation is paraded as the route to quality and liberation. Yet deep-rooted failures from the past remain untouched. Huge numbers of institutions still lack credible accreditation. Previous systems were plagued by capacity shortages and serious doubts about fairness. The new framework fails to fix these fatal flaws. Inconsistent rules across fields invite chaos and conflict. Draconian penalties are designed to punish violations. But they risk devastating smaller state institutions during the chaotic transition. The net result is greater control and coercion, not genuine excellence.
The Bill pretends to solve the chaos of multiple regulators. Overlapping rules have indeed caused endless delays and frustration. Unification appears logical on the surface. However, the chosen medicine is poisonous. It replaces cooperative governance with outright central domination.
India grapples with severe education crises. Research output is woefully weak. Skill gaps cripple employability. Access remains shamefully unequal. Heavy-handed centralisation offers no real cure. Bold state-level innovation and flexible local solutions hold far greater promise.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee is currently scrutinising the Bill. This is perhaps the final opportunity to halt the damage. The committee must insist on drastic revisions. States deserve robust representation and veto powers where necessary. Their constitutional authority over universities must be fiercely protected. Independent appellate bodies are non-negotiable.
A transparent and equitable funding architecture must be established. Without these urgent safeguards, the Bill will inflict irreversible harm on India’s federal fabric. It will fail miserably to deliver the quality higher education the country desperately needs.
A true Viksit Bharat cannot be forged by destroying its federal foundations. Federalism is a pillar of strength. It fosters diversity, competition, experimentation, and responsiveness.
The VBSA Bill ruthlessly sacrifices these virtues for the false allure of central efficiency. This is a reckless and dangerous gamble. India’s future demands empowered states and autonomous institutions working in genuine partnership. The federal structure is under severe threat. It must be defended with determination before it is too late.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
