The Himachal Pradesh government, on Wednesday, tabled a legislation in the state assembly to regulate the appointment of vice-chancellors in the Universities.

It also aims to empower the state government to make rules for appointment of the nominee.

The state horticulture and revenue minister, Jagat Singh Negi, while introducing the bill, said the legislation was brought to bring uniformity in the financial arrangements and service conditions of the employees in the Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishyavidyalya at Palampur and Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Solan.

Negi said the new legislation, Himachal Pradesh Universities of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry (Amendment Bill 2023), if passed as law, would make suitable provisions for enforcing uniform standards of teaching, research, and extension of education in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry in the two universities of the state.

According to him, the bill proposes amendments in the Himachal Pradesh Universities of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry Act, 1986 in the sections 2, 23, and 24. Additionally, it seeks to introduce a new section, 55-A, which will empower the state government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the act.

In the earlier act, there was no role of the state’s elected government in appointing university vice-chancellors, although the government issues grants and aid to these institutions.

The National Education Policy, 2020 lays the broad framework to bring about the qualitative changes to meet India’s educational aspirations and align its education system to meet global changes.

Negi said, “For this we need to have vice-chancellors who can create multi-disciplinary institutions that are committed to constitutional values and nation building. It is found that the existing provisions regarding selection of the vice-chancellors are restrictive as these do not consider the aspirations of the people and do not allow the democratic government to exercise its right to shape the institutions of higher learning.”

“In democratic nation like ours, the institutions of higher learning must be headed by the people of eminence who can create world-class institutions that promote, and foster values enshrined in the Constitution of India,” Negi added.