VBSA Bill: Parliamentary committee meeting to adopt draft report cancelled without explanation; no new date

The meeting of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan (VBSA) Bill, scheduled for Monday, July 20, has been cancelled. No reason has been given to the members and no new date has been set. The committee was scheduled to adopt the draft report on the first day of the monsoon session of parliament 2026.

Previously, the meeting to adopt the report was scheduled for July 17. As the members were provided the draft report only a day before, it was rescheduled. BJP member of parliament, D Purandeswari heads the committee. According to sources, NDA alliance members have raised objections to provisions of the VBSA Bill.

The VBSA Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last year, proposes an overhaul of India's higher-education sector by dissolving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to create a single regulatory commission.

After furore in parliament, it was referred to a 31-member JPC. The cancellation comes in the midst of massive protest against the central government’s handling of education, especially exams such as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG). The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which itself began as a parody, is leading a massive protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions have been adjourned multiple times today.

VBSA Bill: draft report sought greater states representation

In the draft report, as reported by Academia360, the committee largely backs the government on key provisions of the bill, including keeping funding out of the ambit of the new higher education commission and keeping Institutes of National Importance (INI) and Institutions of Eminence (IoE) within it.

The education ministry informed the committee that the bill has been formulated after broad consultation.

“The Ministry received more than two lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, 6,600 Blocks, and 6,000 ULBs in 676 districts. The draft Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 was also referred to the concerned 39 Ministries as part of the inter-ministerial consultation,” the report stated.