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Greetings to all and the hot topic for
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today and lately a lot in controversy is
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the Vixit Bharat Shika Rajasthan bill
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2025 that is proposing a comprehensive
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overhaul of the governance regulation
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accretition and the standard setting
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mechanism of the higher education in
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India. Now uh what does the bill
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propose? What is the bill about and what
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is the controversy behind this bill?
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Let's get started with this particular
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So the Vikit Bharat Shiksha Adashan bill
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2025 envisages the establishment of a
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unified aex body. All right that is the
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Vikshit Bharat Shiksha Adashan which is
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supported by three distinct yet I would
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call it interlin councils responsible
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for accreditation regulation and
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academic standards. Exactly. you know
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what are the proposals what is the
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change. So together these institutions
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are designed to replace the fragmented
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and overlapping regulatory system with a
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streamlined principlebased framework
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that promotes the institutional
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autonomy, accountability, quality
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assurance and innovation
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that is grounded in the recognition that
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higher education is central to national
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development, innovation and global
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engagement. All right. And over the
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decades what has happened the India's
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higher education system has also
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expanded rapidly in scale but the
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expansion has been accompanied by the
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persistent challenges that is uneven
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quality excessive compliance burdens
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rigid affiliation structures limited
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institutional autonomy and fragmented
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oversight by multiple regulatory bodies.
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So the bill is seeking to address the
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these particular issues that we just
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spoke you know and they say that it's
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going to be through a very very clear
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articulation of the guiding principles
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that is going to include the
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minimalistic and responsive regulation
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transparency in academic and financial
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operations and the outcome based quality
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assessment. Now there is a decisive
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shift from the inputdriven control to
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trustbased governments is what they say
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and at its core the bill is reflecting a
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vision of higher educational institution
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as autonomous multidisciplinary and
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globally connected entities that are
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deeply rooted in Indian knowledge
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traditions while remaining open to the
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international best practices.
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So these are the things that you know
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there are there are many many many I
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would say subdivisions there are a lot
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of compartmentalization that has been
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done. For instance when you talk about
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the constitution and the role so the
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vixid bharat shikaan is conceived as the
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aex strategic body for the higher
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education in India as a statutory
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corporate entity. Now it is endored with
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perpetual succession, legal personality
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and authority to guide the long-term
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development of the higher education
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system. Now the commission's composition
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reflects a blend of the academic
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leadership, governmental coordination
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and also expert knowledge that will have
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a chairperson of national eminence,
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president of the three councils as ex
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official members, senior government
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representation, distinguished
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academicians, the academicians from
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state institution and eminent experts
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drawn from the diverse fields. When we
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talk about the strategic functions, see
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unlike the conventional regulators
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focused on the day-to-day compliance,
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commission's role is primarily strategic
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and advisory. Now, the commission will
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be serving as a high level advisory body
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to both the central and state
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governments which was you know there
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going to offer guidance on the policy
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matters which are critical to the
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holistic development of the higher
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education and in this sense it functions
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as the intellectual and moral compass of
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the system as they call it. Now they
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have established a three council
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architecture where you can see a
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separation of powers when it comes to
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the higher education. One of the most
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significant innovation of the bill that
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as they call it is the clear separation
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of the regulatory accreditition and
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standard setting functions into three
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independent councils. All right. First
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is the regulatory council that is going
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to ensure the compliance and autonomy.
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All right. There comes your
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accreditition council that is the you
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know building a culture of quality that
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is going to be the outcome based
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accreditition transparency and public
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trust is what they're going to focus at
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and the standards council that is going
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to define the academic benchmarks all
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right that is what the three particular
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uh unique councils would be doing let's
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come to the the uh the controversy
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behind this particular bill that you
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know is the Vix Bharat Sikshia Adishan
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bill you know truly impacting the
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federalism in education.
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All right. See uh now on paper the bill
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is aligning itself firmly with the
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national education policy that is the
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NEP 2020 that is a document that promise
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transformation autonomy and innovation.
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Now in practice however the legislation
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raises a more uncomfortable question
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that does the reform strengthens India's
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higher education system or does it
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hollow out the federal compact that
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see now the when we talk about the new
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architecture that is one aex three
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councils and absolute authority
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the heart of the bill is pumping that
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that the creation of an umbrella
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regulator the vix Bharat Sika Adishan
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you know that is tasked with providing
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direction for the comprehensive and
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holistic growth of the higher education.
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Beneath it you know the opposition says
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that it will operate three distinct
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bodies that is regulatory council,
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accreditation council and the standard
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council as we discussed. Now the design
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appears streamlined, even elegant. Years
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of complaints about you know overlapping
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uh mandates, duplicative uh you know
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inspections and the bureaucratic
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gridlock have given policymakers indeed
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a compelling case for simplification.
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The bill's statement of objective and
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reasons explicitly cites the
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overregulation and duplication as
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systematic failure requiring urgent
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correction. Yet the devil as always is
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when we talk about appointments,
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accountability and concentration of
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power. See every significant authority
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under the proposed framework.
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The chairman of the AEX body, the 12
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members, the presidents and the members
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of all three councils will be appointed
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by the president of India based on the
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recommendations from the union
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government led search come selection
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Formally this is accuring to the
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constitutional process. Substantively it
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places the entire education the entire
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higher education uh regulation ecosystem
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firmly within the union government
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sphere of influence. There is no
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uh you know the no instit
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institutilizationalized
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role for the state governments and
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despite education being a subject that
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has long occupied a delicate space
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between the union and the states. This
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centralization becomes the starker under
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which grant the union government
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overriding policy authority.
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Any disagreement over whether a matter
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constitutes policy will be resolved
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unilaterally by the center its decision
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final and binding. So the government may
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also direct the bodies to perform such
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other function as it deems fit. An
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open-ended clause that is leaving little
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room for autonomous regulation judgment.
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Now when we are talking about the power
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to supersede and it's the regulation by
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remote control perhaps the most you know
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the contentious provision of is the
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union government's power to supersede
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the commission or council. See
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understand if the center forms the
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opinion that a body has defaulted in its
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function or failed to comply with its
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discretions sorry directions
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it may dissolve that body it may force
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the members to vacate offices and it may
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assume full control until the
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reconstitution takes place. This is not
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merely administrative oversight. See it
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is executive dominance also and that is
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the controversy as well. Regulatory
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independence a cornerstone of the
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credible academic governance is rendered
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fragile. When the regulator exists at
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the pleasure of the government, it is
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meant to advise, audit or occasionally
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Also, when you are talking about the
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financial flows and fiscal dependence,
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the financial autonomy too appears
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limited. The proposed vix bat shika
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adjustthan fund will be financed
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primarily through the union government
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grants along with the receipts and the
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deposits from states or other
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While see it is while the pled funding
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can enhance you know the coordination it
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also deepens the fiscal dependence on
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and this is naturally going to narrow
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the operational space for descent or a
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decentralized decision-m
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federalism is at stake as the opposition
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calls it because here the question is a
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structural and not symbolic concern.
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The opposition parties have framed their
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objection around two axis. People please
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understand. One is the over
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centralization and the federal erosion.
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Now these concerns are not rhetorical
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Higher education institutions
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particularly state universities. You
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know they operate within uh the diverse
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linguistic, social and economic content.
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say regulatory uniformity imposed from
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risks uh you know the the flattening
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this this diversity in pursu of a
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onesizefits-all model the criticism of
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the bill's Hindi nomomenclature may seem
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cosmetic to some but it feeds into a
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broader anxiety whose vision of vigid
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bharat is being institutionalized
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and whose expense at whose expense is
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going to happen in a federal politics
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Symbolism and structure often travel
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The government insists that the bill
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reflects the NEP's promise of a light
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but tight regulatory framework. Minimal
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interference combined with strict
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accountability. Yet the expansive
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discretionary power vested in the union
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government complicates this claim and
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this has to be understood.
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Autonomy without institutional
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safeguards quickly becomes conditional
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When are we going to get this granted
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and withdrawal at cent's discretion?
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Efficiency undeniably see is a leg is a
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legitimate policy goal. Now India's
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higher education system has long
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suffered from regulatory congestion. But
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efficiency achieved through excessive
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central control carries its own
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because the question is whether if it's
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a reform or rupture.
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The decision to send the bill to a joint
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parliament joint parliamentary committee
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is both prudent and revealing.
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It acknowled it acknowledges implicitly
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that the legislation's implication
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extend beyond technical reform into
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constitutional terrain. The committee's
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deliberations will determine whether
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this bill evolves into a balanced reform
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or hardens you know hardens into a
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blueprint for centralized command. The
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question is not whether India's higher
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education system needs reform. It does.
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But the real question is whether reforms
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must come at the expense of federalism,
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pluralism and institutional autonomy. If
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the Vikid bharat shika adhes
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redraws the lines of educational
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governance too sharply. Understand? It
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risks converting cooperative federalism
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into administrative compliance and that
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market would be a transformation far
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more consequential than any regulatory
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So now we leave it up to you. You tell
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us in the comment section what do you
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think about this new bill? How
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or let me call it prudent would it be?
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Will it become a reform or will it
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rupture the benefits? Is it for the good
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for the devil to take care of?
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I leave you on this note that as legal
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how are we opined? How are we suggestive
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to the union government and to those who
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are in support and the opposition for
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the new bill? Take care. Have a good day
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