Overview
- The UGC has notified the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, mandating Equal Opportunity Centres, Equity Committees, 24/7 helplines, equity squads or ambassadors, and a national monitoring committee meeting twice a year.
- The framework explicitly includes OBCs within caste-based discrimination and makes institutional heads accountable, with penalties that can include loss of recognition, exclusion from UGC schemes, and suspension of degree or online programmes.
- Official data cited in the rollout show caste-discrimination complaints rose 118.4% from 2019–20 to 2023–24, underscoring the regulator’s case for stronger enforcement.
- Opposition from general-category and upper-caste groups has grown through campus protests and #UGCRollback drives, with organisations such as Karni Sena and the S-4 coalition mobilising; Ghaziabad police put Yati Narasimhanand under house arrest after he announced a hunger strike.
- Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary defended the rules as furthering access, as figures like MP Priyanka Chaturvedi sought withdrawal or changes citing the dropped penalty for false complaints and unclear inquiry standards.