UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Panel defers final meeting on higher education Bill amid objections from A.P.

Q1. With reference to the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) proposed in the 2025 Bill, which one of the following best describes it?

  • A. A single apex regulatory body for higher education that would subsume the roles of the UGC, AICTE and NCTE
  • B. A central funding agency that would directly disburse grants to all higher educational institutions
  • C. An accreditation-only authority intended to replace the NAAC and the NBA
  • D. A statutory council to regulate school education under the Ministry of Education

Q2. The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2025 by which one of the following Union Ministers?

  • A. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education
  • B. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Information & Broadcasting
  • C. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science & Technology
  • D. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance

Q3. The All India Council for Technical Education, one of the bodies proposed to be repealed by the VBSA Bill, 2025, was constituted as a statutory body under an Act enacted in which year?

  • A. 1956
  • B. 1987
  • C. 1993
  • D. 1945

Q4. Consider the following pairs of a regulatory body and the year of the Act under which it was established: 1. University Grants Commission — 1956 2. All India Council for Technical Education — 1987 3. National Council for Teacher Education — 1993 4. Association of Indian Universities — 1973 Which of the above pairs is/are correctly identified?

  1. University Grants Commission — 1956
  2. All India Council for Technical Education — 1987
  3. National Council for Teacher Education — 1993
  4. Association of Indian Universities — 1973
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. Consider the following pairs of a council proposed under the VBSA and its principal mandate: 1. Regulatory Council — sets compliance standards and facilitates institutional autonomy 2. Accreditation Council — develops accreditation frameworks and empanels accrediting bodies 3. Standards Council — frames learning outcomes and minimum academic benchmarks 4. Regulatory Council — disburses maintenance grants to institutions Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Regulatory Council — sets compliance standards and facilitates institutional autonomy
  2. Accreditation Council — develops accreditation frameworks and empanels accrediting bodies
  3. Standards Council — frames learning outcomes and minimum academic benchmarks
  4. Regulatory Council — disburses maintenance grants to institutions
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. With reference to the sectoral scope of the VBSA compared with the regulators it replaces, consider the following statements: 1. Medical education would remain outside the VBSA's purview and continue under a separate regulator. 2. Legal education would remain outside the VBSA's purview. 3. Technical education, currently overseen by the AICTE, would also be excluded from the VBSA. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Medical education would remain outside the VBSA's purview and continue under a separate regulator.
  2. Legal education would remain outside the VBSA's purview.
  3. Technical education, currently overseen by the AICTE, would also be excluded from the VBSA.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Legal education, which is proposed to remain outside the purview of the VBSA, continues to be regulated primarily by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Bar Council of India
  • B. National Medical Commission
  • C. Veterinary Council of India
  • D. University Grants Commission

Q8. Consider the following statements about the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the VBSA Bill: 1. It is a 31-member committee. 2. Twenty-one of its members are drawn from the Lok Sabha. 3. Ten of its members are drawn from the Rajya Sabha. 4. It is chaired ex officio by the Union Minister of Education. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It is a 31-member committee.
  2. Twenty-one of its members are drawn from the Lok Sabha.
  3. Ten of its members are drawn from the Rajya Sabha.
  4. It is chaired ex officio by the Union Minister of Education.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q9. With reference to the recent deferral of the JPC's proceedings on the VBSA Bill, consider the following statements: 1. The committee's final meeting to adopt its report was deferred from 17 July 2026 to 20 July 2026. 2. The deferral followed objections raised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. 3. The objections came solely from opposition parties, with no NDA ally raising concerns. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The committee's final meeting to adopt its report was deferred from 17 July 2026 to 20 July 2026.
  2. The deferral followed objections raised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
  3. The objections came solely from opposition parties, with no NDA ally raising concerns.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 — which placed education in the Concurrent List — transferred how many subjects in all from the State List to the Concurrent List?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q11. Under the VBSA Bill, 2025, since neither the Commission nor any of its councils is vested with funding powers, grants to centrally-funded higher educational institutions would be disbursed primarily through which one of the following?

  • A. The Union Ministry of Education
  • B. The Regulatory Council of the VBSA
  • C. The University Grants Commission
  • D. NITI Aayog