BJD calls UGC draft provisions ‘anti-federal’, opposes

BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has opposed the draft UGC Regulations, 2025 and rejected proposed provisions for appointment of vice-chancellors and other academic staff.

In a letter to University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman on Wednesday, the BJD Coordination & Activities Committee chairman Debi Prasad Mishra, said, “The party express concerns regarding the anti-federal nature of the draft UGC Regulations, 2025 on selection and appointment of vice-chancellors and other academic staff.”

It said that the BJD did not accept the draft UGC regulations due to different reasons. The party urged the UGC to reconsider the draft regulations and ensure that the appointment of vice-chancellors and other academic staff in the case of state universities is done in a transparent, participatory, and inclusive manner involving the state government in the best traditions of cooperative federalism.
This apart, the regional party wanted that the UGC regulations should ensure the appointment process is transparent, and the search committee and appointing authority are accountable for their actions.

The BJD in the letter suggested the UGC to encourage consultation and collaboration between the UGC, state governments, and universities at all times and in all steps to foster a spirit of cooperative governance. “We hope the UGC will consider our concerns and make necessary amendments to the draft regulations before final notification to honour federalism, protect the autonomy of state universities and protect the interest of all stakeholders,” the party said in the letter.