By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 10, 2020: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday reiterated his demand for the repeal the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill 2020, which was passed in the state Assembly during the Monsoon Session recently.

In a letter to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Pradhan has sought his intervention of to take necessary action in this regard.

The minister said the Bill contradicts the National Education Policy and seeks to strip away the autonomy of higher educational institutions in Odisha by bureaucratisation of critical aspects of 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,” Pradhan said in the letter.

The union minister made it clear that there has been a strong and unanimous view against the Bill, which should not have been promulgated without prior instructions of the President of India as per Article 213 of the Constitution.

“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.

Earlier, Pradhan had written a letter to the Union Education Minister opposing the Odisha University Amendment Bill, 2020.

Notably, the Bill seeks to reconstitute a search committee which selects the vice-chancellor of a university by including in it a nominee of the state government in place of the member selected by the syndicate.

The Bill also abolished senates and now syndicates will function as the highest authority in universities. This apart, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) will recruit university teachers henceforth.