More than 225 terrorists killed in J&K so far this year: Army
Kapurthala (Punjab) : More than 225 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir so far this year, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said on Saturday.
He said initiatives taken by the government and security forces had resulted in a drop in the number of local youths being radicalised and taking to militancy over the last few months.
"We have been able to neutralise a large number of terrorists. As on date, we have been neutralised more than 225 terrorists. However, couple of days of this year are still balanced (left)," Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.
He said locals were sharing information about terrorists' movements with the Army, which is a positive sign.
"That is a very positive sign, which shows a decline of militancy. It shows frustration on the part of Pakistan to push more and more terrorists into J&K. But our resolve is clear that as long as terrorists are moving around they shall not be provided space to carry out activities at their will. They will be acted against and neutralised," he said.
"We will ensure that peace and stability are maintained in J&K," he added.
Singh said the Army would not allow radicalisation of local youth in the state.
"All the initiatives by the government and security forces in J&K are paying rich dividends. There is reduction in the number of local youths joining militancy, which was taking place in last couple of months. There is a relative decline. There is also a decline in radicalisation," he said.
"That is the reason that situation is stable in J&K. But (if) any untoward thing happens, the Army acts swiftly and ensures peace, stability and security," he added.
Speaking about Pakistan, Singh said the neighbouring country was trying to spread terrorism beyond Kashmir in India.
The Army is taking all measures to arrest the spread of terrorism, he said.
He lauded the Kartarpur corridor, which will connect Dera Baba Nanak in India's Gurdaspur district with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Narowal in Pakistan.
It is a good thing as it will encourage people to people contact, he said.
Warning infiltrators, Singh said those who dare to cross the Line of Control (LoC) will have to face death.
He also said the Army was giving befitting response to Pakistan's snipers and the force had kept up the pressure on the adversary along the LoC.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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