Pradhan seeks repeal of Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020

Bhubaneswar: Opposing the Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote another letter to Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and sought his intervention to repeal the Bill.

“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,” the letter read.

Pradhan mentioned that a strong and unanimous view has emerged that the Bill should not have been promulgated without prior instructions of President of India as per article 213 of the Constitution of India.

Even if the Bill is passed by the House, it has to be reserved for consideration and assent of the President of India under article 254(2) of the constitution, he added.

The minister said the Bill contradicts the National Education Policy and seeks to strip away the autonomy of higher educational institutions in Odisha by bureaucratising critical aspects of functioning of universities.

Earlier, Pradhan had written a letter to the Union Minister of Education opposing the Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020. The State Assembly had passed the Bill on October 6, 2020.

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