New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) The Lok Sabha witnessed heated debates on Monday as the government introduced several significant bills in the last week of the Winter Session, scheduled to conclude on December 19.

Amid a packed legislative agenda, three major reform bills drew sharp criticism from the opposition for alleged over-centralisation, potential privatisation, and violations of federal principles.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the “Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025”, aimed at overhauling India’s higher education regulatory framework. The legislation seeks to repeal the University Grants Commission Act, 1956; All India Council for Technical Education Act, 1987; and National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993.

It proposes establishing a 12-member apex commission—the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan—overseeing three specialised councils: Regulatory (Viniyaman Parishad), Accreditation (Gunvatta Parishad), and Standards (Manak Parishad).

Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, the bill promises greater institutional autonomy, streamlined regulations, transparent accreditation, and integration of multidisciplinary approaches with Bharatiya knowledge systems. Funding will be separated from regulation, handled directly by the ministry, with penalties for violations.

However, senior Congress MP Manish Tewari strongly opposed its introduction, calling it “excessive centralisation.” He argued that the bill grants the Centre undue control over education policy design, eroding states’ powers and institutional independence in administration and appointments.

Education being a concurrent subject, Tewari warned that it undermines federalism.

Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran echoed these concerns, objecting to the bill’s Hindi/Sanskrit nomenclature, violating Article 348’s mandate for English as the authoritative language for bills.

He further criticised it for imposing central mandates on state-established universities, contravening concurrent list principles introduced via the 42nd Amendment in 1976 to respect local needs.

In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced the government’s proposal to refer the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed deliberation, acknowledging requests from members during the Business Advisory Committee meeting.

Simultaneously, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh introduced the “Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025”. This landmark legislation aims to open the civil nuclear sector to private participation, modernise regulations, and support India’s target of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.

It proposes repealing the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.

Premachandran opposed this too, alleging it promotes privatisation of nuclear energy and rare earth minerals, currently vested in public sector undertakings, against the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Rijiju defended it, citing Parliament’s legislative competence under Union List Entry 6 (atomic energy and related minerals).

Jitendra Singh reminded members that similar laws were enacted under the Nehru and Manmohan Singh governments.

The supplementary business list also included the “Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025”, set to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the world’s largest rural jobs scheme, but it could not be taken up.

Additionally, the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, was introduced to scrap obsolete laws. Later, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X, demanding referral of the higher education, atomic energy, and rural employment bills to concerned Standing Committees for “deep study and wide consultations,” upholding parliamentary traditions.

The session highlighted tensions between the government’s reform push and the opposition’s federalism concerns, with debates likely to intensify.

–IANS

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