🌑Knowledge Drop – 65: Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, 2025 | For prelims: Highly expected MCQs | For Mains, All G.S Papers: High Quality Essays on iasmonk.com
Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, 2025
Post Date: 18 December 2025
Syllabus: GS-II | Governance | Education Reform 🎓
đź“Ť Context
The Union Cabinet has approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, aimed at overhauling India’s higher-education regulatory architecture in line with long-pending reforms proposed under National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020).
🔎 About the Bill
The Bill proposes the creation of a single, unified regulator for higher education, replacing multiple statutory bodies that currently govern different segments of the sector, namely:
- University Grants Commission (UGC) – non-technical higher education
- All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) – technical education
- National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) – teacher education
This fragmentation has long been criticised for regulatory overlap, duplication, and inconsistent standards.
🏛️ Proposed New Architecture
The Bill operationalises the NEP-2020 vision of a single regulator by strengthening the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) framework.
The new regulator will have three core functions:
- Regulation
- Accreditation
- Setting professional and academic standards
🧩 Key Structural Features
- Four verticals under HECI:
(As envisioned under NEP-2020, separating functions to avoid concentration of power) - No funding role:
- The regulator will not control funding
- Financial autonomy will remain with the administrative ministry, ensuring separation of regulation and financing
- Exclusion of Medical and Legal Education:
- Medical colleges and law institutions will remain outside HECI’s purview
- They will continue to be regulated by their respective professional councils
🎯 Rationale Behind the Reform
- Reduce regulatory fragmentation
- Eliminate overlapping mandates
- Improve consistency in academic standards
- Enable transparent, outcomes-based regulation
- Align governance with global best practices
🌟 Significance of the Bill
- NEP-2020 Implementation Push:
Represents a renewed and more comprehensive attempt to implement the NEP-2020 vision across technical and teacher education as well - Efficiency and Accountability:
By separating regulatory, accreditation, and funding roles, the Bill seeks to improve efficiency while retaining accountability - Unified Oversight:
Brings multiple streams of higher education under a single regulatory philosophy without over-centralisation - Governance Reform:
Signals a shift from control-oriented regulation to standards-based supervision
🌀 IAS Monk Whisper
Education systems mature not when they are tightly controlled, but when regulation becomes light, transparent, and anchored in trust and standards.
Target IAS-2026+: Highly Expected Prelims MCQs :
đź“Ś Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1 | TYPE 1 — How Many Statements Are Correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill:
1)The Bill proposes a unified regulator for higher education by replacing UGC, AICTE and NCTE.
2)The proposed regulator will have powers related to regulation, accreditation and funding.
3)Medical and legal education institutions will remain outside the regulatory scope of the new body.
4)The Bill follows the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a)Only one
(b)Only two
(c)Only three
(d)All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
đźź© Correct Answer: (c)Only three
🧠Explanation:
1)âś…Correct.The Bill replaces UGC, AICTE and NCTE with a unified regulator.
2)❌Incorrect.The new regulator has no role in funding; funding remains with the administrative ministry.
3)✅Correct.Medical and legal education are excluded from the regulator’s purview.
4)âś…Correct.The Bill operationalises the NEP-2020 recommendation of a single regulator.
MCQ 2 | TYPE 2 — Two-Statement Type
Consider the following statements:
Statement I:The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill seeks to reduce regulatory overlap in higher education.
Statement II:The Bill continues the existing system of multiple regulators to ensure sector-specific expertise.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)Statement I only
(b)Statement II only
(c)Both Statement I and Statement II
(d)Neither Statement I nor Statement II
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
đźź© Correct Answer:(a)Statement I only
🧠Explanation:
1)âś…Correct.The objective is to streamline governance and remove duplication.
2)❌Incorrect.The Bill replaces multiple regulators with a unified authority.
MCQ 3 | TYPE 3 — Code-Based Statement Selection
Which of the following are key features of the proposed higher education regulator?
1)Separation of regulation and funding functions
2)Oversight of technical and teacher education
3)Regulation of medical and law colleges
4)Focus on accreditation and professional standards
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1,2 and 4 only
(b)1 and 3 only
(c)2,3 and 4 only
(d)1,2,3 and 4
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
đźź© Correct Answer: (a)1,2 and 4 only
🧠Explanation:
1)âś…Correct.Funding is separated from regulatory functions.
2)âś…Correct.Technical and teacher education are included.
3)❌Incorrect.Medical and law colleges remain outside its scope.
4)âś…Correct.Accreditation and standards are core functions.
MCQ 4 | TYPE 4 — Direct Factual Question
Which of the following bodies will continue to regulate medical and legal education after the enactment of the Bill?
(a)Higher Education Commission of India
(b)Ministry of Education
(c)Respective professional councils
(d)University Grants Commission
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
đźź© Correct Answer: (c)Respective professional councils
🧠Explanation:
Medical and legal education remain under their respective statutory councils and are excluded from HECI.
MCQ 5 | TYPE 5 — UPSC 2025 Linkage Reasoning Format (I, II, III)
Consider the following statements:
1)India’s higher education system has multiple regulators with overlapping mandates.
2)The National Education Policy 2020 recommended restructuring this system through a single regulator.
3)The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill implements this recommendation by creating a unified regulatory authority.
Which of the above statements best explains the logical linkage?
(a)Statement 1 is the cause, Statements 2 and 3 are the effects
(b)Statements 1 and 2 are independent of Statement 3
(c)Statement 3 contradicts Statements 1 and 2
(d)All three statements are unrelated
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
đźź© Correct Answer: (a)Statement 1 is the cause, Statements 2 and 3 are the effects
🧠Explanation:
1)âś…Correct.Fragmentation created the need for reform.
2)âś…Correct.NEP-2020 proposed the solution.
3)âś…Correct.The Bill operationalises that solution.