Repeal Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill-2020: Dharmendra

Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal’s intervention in repealing the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill-2020, which was recently passed in the Odisha Assembly.

In a letter, Pradhan said the bill contradicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Education Policy.

He said it seeks to strip away the autonomy of higher educational institutions in Odisha by bureaucratizing critical aspects of the functioning of universities.

“Keeping in mind the welfare of students, scholars, faculty and staff, autonomy of higher educational institutions and the overall well being of the entire higher education ecosystem in Odisha and factoring in the blatant inconsistencies of the Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020 with the Constitution of India, I seek your urgent personal intervention in taking necessary action to repeal the Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020,” said the Minister.

“The Odisha University (Amendment) Bill has met near-criticism from all quarters of Odisha’s academic community. The Bill seeks to strip away the autonomy of higher educational institutions in Odisha by bureaucratizing critical aspects of functioning of universities and crippling its autonomy with the intent of exercising State government’s complete dominance,” he added.