Cabinet Approves Single Regulator Bill to Replace UGC, AICTE and NCTE

In a decisive step toward modernizing India’s higher education system, the Union Cabinet has approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, paving the way for the establishment of a single overarching regulator.

The legislation, previously known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, will replace three existing statutory bodies: the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The approval, announced on December 13, marks one of the most significant structural reforms in Indian higher education in decades. It directly implements a core recommendation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which identified the current fragmented regulatory framework as a barrier to innovation, accountability, and global competitiveness.

Currently, the UGC regulates general universities and non-technical programs, the AICTE oversees technical and management education, and the NCTE governs teacher training institutions. This multi-regulator setup has often led to overlapping mandates, bureaucratic delays, and inconsistent standards across the sector, which enrolls over 40 million students in thousands of institutions.

The new unified body will consolidate key functions—regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards—under one roof, aiming to streamline governance, reduce redundancies, and foster institutional autonomy. Notably, medical and legal education will remain outside its scope, continuing under their respective councils.

Funding allocation, another pillar envisioned in NEP 2020, will for now stay with the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, maintaining a separation to avoid over-centralization.The NEP 2020 had bluntly stated that “the regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive.” It advocated for distinct, empowered bodies handling regulation, accreditation, funding, and standard-setting to promote transparency and excellence.

The journey to this bill has been long. A draft HECI Bill was first circulated in 2018, proposing to repeal the UGC Act, but it stalled amid stakeholder consultations and concerns over potential centralization. Momentum revived after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took office in 2021, with renewed discussions to align the framework with NEP’s vision of a lighter, more enabling regulatory touch.

The bill is expected to be introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, which concludes on December 19. If passed, it could transform how universities operate, encouraging research, innovation, and multidisciplinary approaches while ensuring quality and accountability.Stakeholders have welcomed the move as a bold reform, though some, including student groups like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), have raised concerns about potential over-centralization and ideological influences.

As the legislation heads to Parliament, it promises to reshape India’s higher education landscape, aligning it with the goal of building a “Viksit Bharat” – a developed India – by 2047.

Signpost NewsDesk

Signpost News is an Imphal-based media house that focuses on delivering news and views from Northeast India and beyond.