The Centre has not taken any final decision on the merger of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to create a single regulator for higher education, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He was responding to a written question from YSR Congress Party MP Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy regarding the proposal to create a Higher Education Commission of India to oversee all non-medical college-level education in the country.
Objection from States
A June 2018 version of the draft HECI Bill had faced objections from States worried they would lose autonomy under the new regime as well as concerns that grant disbursal powers were being moved from autonomous bodies to the direct control of the HRD Minister.
By September 2019, a revised draft which reportedly made changes to address such concerns was ready for approval. Senior HRD Ministry officials indicated that it would be introduced in the winter session of Parliament.
However, the Minister Mr. Nishank has now said no final decision has been taken on the issue, further delaying introduction of the Bill.
