TN opposes Centre’s HECI Draft Bill

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami along with Higher Education Minister KP Anbazhagan conducted a meeting with officials of Higher Education Department where the pros and cons of the Bill were discussed in detail.

According to sources, the officials explained the importance of the UGC in granting funds to universities. After lengthy deliberations, the meeting decided to oppose the HECI draft Bill in its initial stage itself.

Later, the Chief Minister in a statement said that the proposed HECI would erode the powers of the states and was against the concept of federalism. If UGC was removed, universities would not receive the funds and the autonomy of educational institutions would also be lost.

Earlier, Ministry of Human Resources and development (MHRD) had sent the HECI Draft Bill to all stakeholders inviting their comments and suggestions. The HECI was touted as a major reform in the field of higher education by the Union government.