India, March 23 -- The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, which seeks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), proposes a sweeping restructuring of higher education in India. In effect, it centralises authority, weakens the federal framework, and erodes the autonomy that higher educational institutions currently enjoy.

The Bill repeals the Acts that established these bodies, while exempting legal and medical education, which will continue to be governed under separate regulatory frameworks.

It seeks to establish the VBSA as the apex regulatory authority for higher education, supported by three Councils...