New commission to replace UGC will be autonomous: Javadekar
New Delhi, July 23 : Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said the new body to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be autonomous with two separate wings -- one for regulatory functions and the other for providing grants to higher education institutions.
"We are not converting the UGC into a bureaucratic body. It will be autonomous. We will only change the name. It has to concentrate on quality of education and maintenance of standards," Javadekar told the Lok Sabha after members raised the issue.
He was replying to some members who raised apprehensions over the government bringing in the Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2018 that seeks to repeal the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956.
The minister said the UGC was created in 1956, when the country had 20 universities, 500 colleges and around 200,000 students.
But now there were 900 universities, 40,000 colleges and over 3.5 crore students in the country.
The new act proposes to establish the Higher Education Commission ostensibly to improve the quality of higher education in the country and bring it at par with international standards.
K.C. Venugopal of the Congress asked the government if it had sought opinions from stakeholders and the public before bringing in changes.
Javadekar said the ministry had received "10,000 reactions" from different people and the government was reviewing them.
Calling the Higher Education Commission Act an "old wine in new bottle", AIADMK member M. Thambidurai asked: "Why can't they strengthen the UGC instead of replacing it with a new bill?"
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Badlapur accused Akshay Shinde shot dead: Lawyer of minor girls calls it 'killing of justice'
Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.
Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.
After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.
"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.
"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.
Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.
"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.
