UGC regulations on promoting equity is delayed but welcome step, says TN CM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday said the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, though delayed, was a welcome step in reforming a higher education system "scarred by deep rooted discrimination and institutional apathy."
These regulations must be strengthened and also revised to address their structural gaps, and enforced with real accountability, he stressed.
On January 13, the regulatory body for higher education in the country notified the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, replacing the earlier 2012 anti-discrimination framework.
The new rules deal with discrimination, including those on the basis of caste, in higher education institutions by making them enforceable governance.
Reacting to the latest move, the Chief Minister said since the BJP came to power at the Centre there has been a visible rise in student suicides within Indian HEIs particularly among SC and ST students.
"This has been accompanied by repeated attacks and harassment targeting students from south India, Kashmir, and minority communities. In this context, equity safeguards are not a matter of choice but an unavoidable necessity," Stalin said.
The stated goals of dismantling caste discrimination and the inclusion of OBCs within this framework, deserved support. As seen during the implementation of reservations based on the Mandal Commission recommendations, the present UGC rollback backlash was driven by the same regressive mindset.
"The Union Government must not allow such pressure to dilute these regulations or their core objectives," the Chief Minister said in a post on the social media platform 'X'.
Cases like the suicide of Rohith Vemula, where VCs themselves faced allegations, make it difficult to see how equity committees chaired by institutional heads could function independently, especially when many higher education institutions are led by RSS supporters, he claimed.
"If the Union BJP Government is serious about preventing student deaths, ending discrimination, and reducing dropout rates among students from backward communities, these regulations must not only be strengthened but also revised to address their structural gaps, and enforced with real accountability," the Chief Minister said.
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RBI keeps policy rate unchanged amid inflationary pressure
Mumbai (PTI): The Reserve Bank on Wednesday expectedly kept interest rates unchanged amid hopes of a global recovery on the back of ceasefire in the six-week-long US/Israel-Iran conflict.
The policy decision comes as a month and a-half-long West Asia conflict has disrupted energy supplies, shot up crude oil prices and created fiscal and inflationary pressures for import-dependent nations like India.
This is the first monetary policy review after the government announced a fresh inflation target for the RBI last month. The government has asked the RBI to maintain retail inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side for another five years ending March 2031.
Announcing the first bi-monthly monetary policy for the current fiscal, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has unanimously decided to retain short-term lending rate or repo rate at 5.25 per cent with a neutral stance.
The rate cut pause comes on the back of the consumer price index (CPI) based headline retail inflation that moved closer to the RBI's medium-term target of 4 per cent at 3.21 per cent in February.
Additionally, the rupee has depreciated by over 4 per cent since the war, which has consequences for pushing up import inflation.
However, the rupee has appreciated by 50 paise to 92.56 against US dollar following announcement of the ceasefire by the US and Iran.
Based on the recommendation of the MPC, the RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 bps each in February, April, and December 2025 and 50 basis points in June amidst easing retail inflation.
India's retail inflation dropped to a historic low of 0.25 per cent in October 2025, marking the lowest level since the Consumer Price Index (CPI) series was introduced.
However, the rupee declined to historic low and crossed 95 against a dollar last month making imports costlier, raising fears of rise in inflation. Rupee touched a record low of 95.21 on March 30, 2026.
