Director of IIT Kanpur, Professor Manindra Agrawal, has rejected claims that the institute opposed the Centre’s proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, saying a report published by The Hindu had presented a misleading picture of his news.
Sharing a post on his X account, Agrawal clarified that IIT Kanpur had not opposed the proposed legislation. Instead, he said he had welcomed the Bill during his presentation before the parliamentary panel examining it.
https://t.co/z4DG92gzqK
— Manindra Agrawal (@agrawalmanindra) July 11, 2026
A misleading headline by @the_hindu. IIT Kanpur did NOT oppose the bill. In fact, in my presentation, I welcomed the bill as it addresses certain longstanding issues and protects the autonomy of IITs/IIMs. I also made a couple of suggestions including one…
“A misleading headline by The Hindu. IIT Kanpur did NOT oppose the bill. In fact, in my presentation, I welcomed the bill as it addresses certain longstanding issues and protects the autonomy of IITs/IIMs,” Agrawal wrote.
He added that he had only suggested some improvements to the legislation, including recommendations on how the autonomy of IITs could be protected even better. “I also made a couple of suggestions, including one on how to better ensure the autonomy of IITs. It is a bit of a stretch to interpret it as opposing the bill,” he said.
The clarification came after, on Saturday, 11th July, The Hindu published a report titled, “IITs, IIMs push back against VBSA norms”. The article claimed that several Institutes of National Importance, including IITs and IIMs, had raised concerns over parts of the proposed law and sought exemptions from certain provisions.
According to the report, institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIM Sambalpur and IISER Mohali had asked for complete exemption from the proposed regulatory framework, while other institutes had suggested partial exemptions in areas such as online programmes, new colleges and penalty provisions. The report also said several institutions had expressed concerns over issues such as centralisation, institutional autonomy and the proposed penalty structure under the new law.
What are the VBSA norms?
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, aims to bring major changes to India’s higher education regulatory system. The proposed law seeks to replace existing bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single umbrella organisation called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, or VBSA.
Under the proposal, the new body would oversee regulation, accreditation and academic standards for higher education institutions across the country through different councils operating under it.
The government has argued that the Bill will simplify the regulatory system and improve coordination. However, several universities and Institutes of National importance have raised concerns that some provisions could affect institutional autonomy and lead to excessive centralisation of decision-making.
The proposed legislation is currently being examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by BJP MP D. Purandeshwari.
