Bring medical study under NCHER: PMO

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry and the Health Ministry have been at loggerheads over the issue,with the latter wanting its own independent regulatory body for medical education.

The NCHER,critical to the UPA-IIs reform agenda for cleaning up higher education,aims to do away with the current multiplicity of regulatory bodies in higher education.

Once set up by an Act of Parliament,the NCHER will subsume the existing multiple regulatory authorities like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission among others.

The task force that was set up to hold nationwide consultations with all stakeholders and state governments on the issue has insisted that both medicine and agriculture should be included under NCHER.

The NCHER draft Bill,meanwhile,has factored in recommendations made by state governments. Yielding to concerns raised by different states,state governments will now be free to choose Vice-Chancellors who may not be included in the central database.