Parliament's Joint Committee to Scrutinize Higher Education Reform Bill

A new 31-member parliamentary committee, headed by BJP MP D Purandeswari, has been established to examine the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill. This bill aims to unify multiple educational regulators into a single authority, aligning with the National Education Policy 2020.

The committee comprises members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including notable representatives like Digvijaya Singh (Congress) and Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD-U). Their task is to review provisions of the VBSA Bill, which intends to streamline the higher education regulatory framework by separating accreditation, funding, and standard-setting.

This move comes in response to governmental acknowledgements in the Lok Sabha of the necessity for extensive discussions, especially given opposition concerns about federalism, autonomy, and centralization. The committee will also seek input from state governments and academic institutions before making its recommendations.