Lok Sabha refers bill to set up higher education commission to joint committee of Parliament

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a resolution to refer a bill to set up a 13-member body for regulating higher education institutions to a joint committee of Parliament.

The proposal was moved by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and it was approved by voice vote in the House.

While introducing the bill on Monday, the government said it would like the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill to be sent to a joint panel of both Houses.

According to Tuesday's resolution, the joint committee will comprise 21 members of the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The proposed committee will submit its report by the last day of the first part of the Budget Session, 2026.

The Budget session usually begins on January 31 with the President's address to a joint sitting of the two Houses. Its first part usually concludes around February 10 for a month-long recess.

According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.

The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including the IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.