Punjab too rejects draft UGC regulations: ‘Infringing on the rights of the states’

“Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already written a missive to the Centre opposing the caller policy. I americium besides going to constitute a DO missive to them. We are against the caller policy. It is infringing connected the rights of the states. The Centre is already trying to control. They privation to snatch states’ rights successful each sphere,” Bains said.

He added that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had passed a Bill, giving powers of the Chancellor to the Chief Minister for the assignment of Vice-Chancellors. “The Bill was not fixed assent by the past Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Also, helium had sent the Bill to the President. It was ne'er cleared.”

In a joint resolution passed by the acquisition ministers of the six states, they raised aggregate objections to the draught regulations and contended that the projected rules interruption the national principles of governance.

“The authorities governments indispensable beryllium fixed a pivotal relation successful the assignment of Vice-Chancellors to authorities nationalist universities. The draught UGC regulations bash not envisage immoderate relation for the authorities governments successful these appointments, which impinges connected the morganatic rights of the states successful a national set-up. The regulations curtail the rights of the states successful constituting the search-cum-selection committees for enactment of Vice-Chancellors,” the solution stated.

The UGC regulations introduced by Pradhan connected January 6 stipulate that the chancellor of a assemblage volition found a three-member search-cum-selection committee for assignment of vice-chancellors. The Governor’s nominee would seat the committee, with the different 2 members appointed by the UGC president and the university’s apex body.

The AAP-ruled Punjab authorities had already rejected the draught cultivation selling argumentation of the Centre a fewer weeks ago.

In 2023, the Punjab authorities had brought successful a Bill, The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, providing for replacing Chief Minister arsenic Chancellor of authorities universities alternatively than the Governor. The Bill was legislated aft the past Governor Purohit was not clearing appointments of respective experts arsenic Vice-Chancellors of authorities universities stating that helium was the chancellor of these universities. He was connected a confrontational way with the authorities government.

The Bill was sent to the President by Purohit successful December 2023, a period aft the Supreme Court ruled that Governors cannot beryllium connected authorities Bills. The Bill was rejected by President Droupadi Murmu successful July past year.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd