Expert panel led by former SPPU VC Nitin Karmalkar to revise Maharashtra Public Universities Act in line with NEP 2020 | Representational Image
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has constituted a high-level committee, headed by Professor Nitin Karmalkar, former Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), to recommend amendments to the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The committee, tasked with reviewing and modernising the existing legislation, is expected to propose changes aimed at improving the quality, inclusivity, autonomy, transparency, accountability and global competitiveness of public universities across the state. The panel has been directed to submit its report within three months.
In a recent government resolution, the state’s Higher and Technical Education Department noted, “while the 2016 Act was introduced to reform the functioning of public universities, changes are now essential to bring it into alignment with the transformative vision laid out in the NEP 2020.”
The policy has already been implemented in autonomous institutions since 2023 and is set to be extended to affiliated colleges from the academic year 2024-25.
The committee will examine all provisions of the current Act and suggest necessary amendments to ensure that public universities are better positioned to contribute to research, innovation, employability, and international engagement. It has also been asked to study models followed by successful institutions at both the national and international levels and recommend practices that are practical, financially viable and suited to Maharashtra’s context.
The other members of the committee include Dr D.T. Shirke, Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur; Dr Ujwala Chakradeo, Vice-Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai; Dr Rajani Gupte, Vice-Chancellor of Symbiosis International (Deemed University); Dr R.S. Mali, former Vice-Chancellor of North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon; and Dr Paromita Mazumdar, legal officer at SPPU. Shri Dilip Bharde, Registrar of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, is also on the panel, alongside directors of higher and technical education from Pune and Mumbai.
The committee is expected to evaluate the Act with a focus on academic flexibility, practical implementation, and coordination with national education goals. It will also consider mechanisms for better coordination between universities and regulatory bodies, as well as improved frameworks for student engagement and faculty development. Administrative support will be provided by Savitribai Phule Pune University, which will also bear the operational expenses of the committee.
