In a digital, real-time economy, these rules are an obstacle to transparency. The colonial era policy of Rule-by-Gazette is being replaced by Rule-by-Algorithm and Open Disclosure, rendering the rigid, slow-moving machinery of Section 25 a relic of the past.
The fine mentioned in the original 1956 Act (Rs. 1,000) was a significant sum in the colonial-era economy but is a joke in 2026.
Every year, the UGC publishes a list of Fake Universities violating Section 23. The fact that this list grows annually proves that the Prohibition model of 1956 is failing to deter modern commercial education.
Affiliation ensures quality control and validity of qualifications, directly impacting student enrollment and institutional survival. In short, Section 22 makes affiliation non-negotiable, colleges must align with approved universities to exist meaningfully in India’s education system.
This creates a chain of delay that halts policy-making at the Ministry level. Often, the information required under Section 21 is already present in the Annual Report under Section 18 or Audit under Section 19, yet the Return must be filed separately, leading to redundant paperwork.
When a Section 20 direction is issued, the UGC must then draft new regulations to match that direction. This two-step process of Government Direction followed by UGC Regulation, may create a significant time gap between a policy goal and its execution on campus.
This delay makes the findings historical rather than actionable, as the officials responsible for the financial lapses may have already retired or moved departments by the time Parliament discusses the report.
Although due to digitization and translation machines like Sarvam AI, this delay can be reduced[2], but printing large number of copies take more time. More specifically, do all members of the house read these reports?
The UGC cannot spend freely without planning and it must forecast needs in advance and get government oversight.
Modern global universities rely on Endowment Funds that are shielded from government interference. Section 16 is archaic because it treats the UGC as a pass-through entity for government cash rather than a wealth-generating trust that can sustain higher education through economic downturns.
