Andhra Pradesh Objections Push Back Higher Education Bill's Final Report

New Delhi: The Joint Committee of Parliament reviewing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, has postponed its meeting scheduled for Friday (July 17, 2026) to July 20. The delay follows objections raised by the Andhra Pradesh government, led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

The Bill proposes a major overhaul of higher education regulation in India by merging the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) into a single regulatory body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA).

According to sources, the Andhra Pradesh government has argued that the Bill could render the state's legislative competence in higher education “a dead letter”. It has called for mandatory consultation with state governments before any decision affecting state universities is taken. The state has also objected to Clause 11 of the Bill, which empowers the Regulatory Council to grant degrees bypassing state universities, warning that it could lead to “constitutional friction”.

Further, the Andhra Pradesh government has proposed an additional clause to explicitly prevent the Centre from taking any action that harms the autonomy, functioning, or governance of state institutions and universities. It also seeks mandatory state consultation before any action is taken against any state institution.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held an informal meeting on Tuesday with the committee chairperson and BJP MP D. Purandeswari, along with a few other members, to discuss the concerns. The TDP conveyed its reservations during this meeting, after which it was decided that the draft report would be reviewed again.

A senior TDP leader said, “If we find something amiss that needs attention, we will obviously flag it. We have done it in the past with the Waqf Bill and also in the ongoing consultations on the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill. We recommended that the list of offences warranting automatic suspension of a public office holder should be specified.”

The TDP Parliamentary Party is scheduled to meet on Friday to finalise its strategy for the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on July 20. The committee is expected to submit its final report after incorporating the required changes.