Union Cabinet approves bill to create single higher education regulator, replacing UGC, AICTE, NCTE

Earlier known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill and has now been renamed the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.

The proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill is now renamed the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill (Image Credit- UGC)

The Union Cabinet today approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill that proposes a unified regulator for higher education, replacing existing statutory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The legislation, which will be introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, was earlier known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill. This move follows recommendations in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for a single regulatory authority to streamline governance and oversight in India’s higher education sector.

According to previous reports, the proposed regulator is intended to merge the functions of the UGC, AICTE and NCTE into one body responsible for academic regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards across higher education institutions, excluding medical and legal colleges. Funding and financial autonomy will remain with the administrative ministry rather than the regulator itself.

The Regulatory Merger

Current

UGCHigher Education

Current

AICTETechnical Education

Current

NCTETeacher Education

↓

New Single Authority

Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)

Four Verticals Under HECI

National Higher Education Regulatory Council

Regulates all fields except medical and legal education

National Accreditation Council

Accrediting body for quality assurance

General Education Council

Frames learning outcomes and standards

Higher Education Grants Council

Handles funding decisions (government retains control)

What's Excluded from HECI

Medical and legal education will continue to be regulated by their respective councils, remaining outside HECI's regulatory purview

Indian Express InfoGenIE

The idea of a unified regulator dates back several years, with an earlier draft of the HECI Bill first circulated in 2018. That version aimed to repeal the UGC Act and establish a central commission, but it faced significant resistance from stakeholders over concerns of centralisation and overreach, and was not pursued further at that time.

The present bill represents a renewed effort to implement the NEP 2020 vision, incorporating a more comprehensive framework that includes technical and teacher education oversight under the new authority.

Under NEP 2020, the concept of a single regulator was highlighted as part of a broader repositioning of higher education governance. The policy recommended separating regulatory functions into distinct verticals including regulation, accreditation, academic standards and funding, to reduce duplication and improve efficiency while maintaining accountability.

Although the new bill retains the central role for a unified authority, financial control is expected to stay with the government rather than the regulator, reflecting a partial adoption of the policy’s original vertical structure.