Delhi Cabinet approves Bill to allow private universities

New Delhi: The Delhi Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Friday approved the “Delhi Private Universities Bill, 2026” that is expected to attract investment in higher education and improve industry collaboration, an official said.

After the Cabinet nod, the Bill is likely to be introduced in the Assembly during the ongoing Monsoon Session, said the official.

While most other states already have such legislation, the Delhi government is now opening the doors to private varsities by putting in place a statutory framework through the Bill, he said.

At present, private universities in the national capital function as deemed universities or private colleges run under affiliation to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

The proposed legislation is likely to benefit self-financing colleges, many of whom have already secured the status of autonomous institutions that give them a free hand to design curricula, the official said.

Earlier during the day, the Delhi Assembly’s Monsoon Session began with the business list including the tabling of two reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and a notification concerning the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly had also decided that three Bills relating to the time-bound delivery of public services, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board and bed-and-breakfast establishments will be introduced during the Sixth Session of the Eighth Legislative Assembly, scheduled from August 7 to 11.

On Friday, Speaker Vijender Gupta also asked Delhi government departments to take note of Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) observations on last year’s CAG reports and submit Action Taken Notes in a time-bound manner.

In a statement on the opening day of the eighth Delhi Legislative Assembly’s sixth session, Speaker Gupta said, “Since last year, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been continuously examining those Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports that were not presented before the House during the tenure of previous governments.”

“The Committee has now submitted its reports on the CAG reports that were presented last year,” he said.

“I am confident that the examination of the CAG reports presented this year will also be completed by the end of the year. I have directed the Legislative Assembly Secretariat to forward these reports to the concerned departments so that the Action Taken Notes (ATNs) may be received at the earliest,” he said.

IANS