Joint parliamentary committee formed to review VBSA Bill

A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee has been constituted to examine the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, a proposed law that seeks to create a single regulator for higher education.

The panel, chaired by BJP MP D Purandeswari, will review the provisions of the bill and submit its report, according to a notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Feb 10. The committee includes members from both Houses of Parliament.

The VBSA Bill was introduced during the winter session and proposes restructuring the higher education regulatory system in line with the National Education Policy 2020.

It seeks to replace multiple existing regulators with one overarching authority and separate key functions such as accreditation, funding, and standard setting.

Members of the committee include Digvijaya Singh of the Congress, Sagarika Ghose of the TMC, Sasmit Patra of the BJD, Sanjay Kumar Jha of the JD(U), Ram Gopal Yadav of the SP, Tejasvi Surya and Anurag Singh Thakur of the BJP, Varsha Eknath Gaikwad of the Congress, Sougata Ray of the TMC, and T R Baalu of the DMK.

The government had earlier indicated that the bill would be referred to a joint panel amid opposition concerns related to federal structure, institutional autonomy, and concentration of regulatory powers.

The committee is expected to seek inputs from state governments, academic institutions, and other stakeholders before finalizing its recommendations.