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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Efforts of party cadres will be rewarded on May 4: DMK chief Stalin
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said that the efforts made by his party cadres during the Assembly elections would be rewarded on May 4.
The counting of votes for the Assembly elections held on April 23 will be taken up on May 4.
"We are set to reap the rewards of the hard work put in by our party cadres on the coming fourth (May 4 counting day). There is absolutely no change in this and not even the slightest deviation," Stalin said at a May Day event here.
"There is no need for anyone to assume that I am speaking merely on the basis of exit polls," he added.
Stalin, who is also DMK chief, said that "good news" would come for those eagerly waiting for the election results.
Stating that the DMK governance is based on philosophy and principles, Stalin said, "This will continue."
He recalled the pivotal role of the then Chief Minister C N Annadurai, who first declared May Day as a government holiday, and subsequently, late CM M Karunanidhi, who was instrumental in extending it as a paid holiday across the nation.
"Responding to the request of Kalaingnar (Karunanidhi), the then Prime Minister V P Singh accepted the plea and declared it (May 1) a paid government holiday not merely for Tamil Nadu, but for the entire nation," Stalin said.
