Union Cabinet Approves Single Higher Education Regulator to Replace Multiple Bodies

Q: What decision did the Union Cabinet take regarding higher education regulation?

The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of a single higher education regulator to replace multiple regulatory bodies overseeing universities and colleges.

Q: Why is a single regulator being introduced?

A single regulator is being introduced to streamline governance, improve oversight, reduce redundancy, and ensure consistent standards across higher education institutions.

Q: How will this affect universities and colleges?

Universities and colleges will now be regulated under a unified framework, which is expected to simplify compliance, standardize regulations, and enhance the quality of higher education.

Author :

Nisha Sharma

Last Updated on : 13 Dec 2025 11:35AM

The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan, a newly formed regulatory body, will be responsible for regulation, accreditation, and setting standards for professionals. It will not deal with funding or supervision of medical and law schools.

The Union Cabinet approved a bill on Friday that will replace multiple higher education organisations with one. This one regulator will be a successor to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The UGC is a non-technical higher education regulatory body, while the AICTE is the technical education regulator, and the NCTE is the regulatory organisation for teacher education.

The bill was recommended by the recently released National Education Policy (NEP). Initially, the proposed legislation was called the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill but has now been renamed as the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.

The three main responsibilities of the new regulator will be to set standards for the profession, regulate, and accredit. The organisation will not be engaged with financial matters. The ministry in charge of the administration is anticipated to have full control over finances. The new regulatory body will also not have jurisdiction over medical and law schools.

Work to make the HECI a reality was initiated after Dharmendra Pradhan took over as Union Education Minister in July 2021.