Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill 2020

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Centre to repeal the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill 2020, which was passed in the state Assembly during the Monsoon Session recently.

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Key-Points

Describing the bill as anomalous, Mr Pradhan said, in his letter to Union Education Minister, that the bill is in complete contradiction to the Prime Minister’s visionary National Education Policy- 2020.

According to him, the bill’s provisions are cause for grave concern replacing University’s apex Senate body with the State-controlled Syndicate, manipulating the appointment of its University Vice-Chancellor by inserting a State Government appointed nominee in the Search Committee and limiting candidature of this committee to non-academic candidates

An ill-founded delegation of powers to appoint faculties and staffs to Odisha State Public Service Commission (OPSC) and State Selection Board is meant to remote control the higher educational system.

The Bill also seeks to unethically bypass the Constitutional scrutiny and debates on utilization of public funds by withdrawing the tabling of University Audit Report in the State Assembly.

The ‘outsourcing’ of University appointments promulgated under the Bill is in violation of guidelines pertaining to the appointment and coordination for appointments under Section 26 of the UGC Act, 1956.