Bill proposes 2cr fine on illegal univsities

New Delhi: Any university or higher education institution established without approval of Central or state govt would face a penalty of at least Rs 2 crore and immediate closure, as per the new higher education bill — Viksit Bharat Adhishthan Bill — which is likely to be introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday.The bill circulated to MPs on Sunday also proposes that higher education institutions will be required to disclose financial details, audits, infrastructure, faculty information, courses, outcomes and accreditation status on a public portal maintained by the regulatory council as well as on their own websites. The disclosed data will form the basis for accreditation and regulatory oversight.TOI has learnt that govt is also likely to introduce a bill to replace the rural employment guarantee law, MGNREGA, on Monday. Sources said that though the Cabinet had last week approved the Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Bill, the acronym of the bill may be changed when it’s introduced in the House. The Bill proposes to guarantee 125 workdays per household as against 100 provided under the present law and would focus more on creating tangible assets in rural areas.As per the proposed Viksit Bharat Adhishthan Bill, there would be a common regulator for higher education, including universities, IITs and IIMs — Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad — having 14 members headed by a president. Its mandate would be to ensure coordination, maintenance of standards, and compliance with regulatory provisions across universities and higher educational institutions.The regulatory council will promote a “light but tight” regulatory approach, emphasising transparency, accountability & autonomy.The bill proposes to empower the regulatory council to take corrective action within 60 days in cases of misrepresentation, financial impropriety or administrative lapses.