Stalin welcomes UGC's new regulations, calls for autonomy of equality committees

Chennai, Jan 29 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday welcomed the new regulations issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC), stating that it will “eliminate caste-and gender-based discrimination” in higher educational institutions and said that this was long overdue and necessary “reform” of an inequitable academic system.

Notably, the UGC recently notified fresh guidelines mandating formation of Equality Committees in universities and colleges, with the objective of preventing discrimination based on caste, gender, region, or social background and ensuring a more inclusive campus environment.

Stalin expressed strong support to the revised guidelines and said that this will address long-standing issues of discrimination on campuses.

Penning a post on his X account, the Chief Minister said that discrimination has been deeply entrenched in India’s higher education ecosystem for decades, and that any step to correct this imbalance deserves encouragement.

He noted that although the UGC’s intervention has come late, it represents an important acknowledgement of long-standing injustices faced by marginalized communities in academic institutions.

Stalin further pointed out that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre, incidents of suicides among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in higher education institutions have increased.

He also referred to reported attacks and systemic discrimination faced by students from Southern states and minority communities.

He argued that safeguards to uphold equality and dignity within campuses are not optional but essential and also voiced strong disapproval of the attempts to recall new norms, terming it “regressive mindset.”

He cautioned the Union government against yielding to such pressures, urging it not to dilute either the new regulations or their core objectives of social justice and equity.

He also raised concerns over practical functioning of the proposed Equality Committees.

He questioned how these bodies could operate independently if they are constituted under the direct leadership of the heads of institutions themselves.

Stalin suggested that for the committees to be effective, they must be empowered with genuine autonomy and insulation from institutional hierarchies.