Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill approved; UGC, AICTE replaced

• Union Cabinet approved the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill to establish a single higher education regulator.
• The new body will replace existing regulators like UGC, AICTE, and NCTE.
• Medical and law colleges will be excluded from its purview; funding remains with the administrative ministry.
• The regulator will operate through four verticals: NHERC (regulation), NAC (accreditation), GEC (academic frameworks), and HEGC (funding norms).
• This reform aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's recommendations for overhauling the regulatory framework.

Why It Matters: New bill replaces UGC/AICTE, fundamentally changing India's higher education oversight.