The Union Cabinet has approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, paving the way for the creation of a single regulator for higher education in India.

Earlier known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, the move is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for the constitution of a unified regulatory framework for governance and oversight in the higher education sector.

The proposed legislation, which will be introduced during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, seeks to replace 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) with a single new authority to oversee higher education.

According to earlier reports, the new authority will combine the functions of academic regulation, accreditation and the setting of professional standards across higher education institutions, excluding medical and legal colleges. However, funding powers and financial autonomy will remain with the administrative ministry, rather than being vested in the regulator.

The idea of a single higher education regulator has been under consideration for several years. An initial draft of the HECI Bill circulated in 2018 proposed repealing the UGC Act and establishing a central commission but faced resistance from stakeholders over concerns of excessive centralisation and regulatory overreach, and was eventually shelved.

The current bill marks a renewed attempt to implement the NEP 2020 vision, with a more expansive framework that brings technical and teacher education under the proposed authority.

While NEP 2020 had suggested separating functions such as regulation, accreditation, academic standards and funding into distinct verticals to improve efficiency and accountability, the new bill is expected to retain financial control with the government, reflecting a partial adoption of the policy’s original structure.