Panaji: The government on Tuesday withdrew the Goa Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, following a heated debate in the Assembly over proposed relaxations in land, library, infrastructure and financial safeguards for private universities.
Introduced to amend the Goa Private Universities Act, 2020, the bill proposed relaxing requirements related to land ownership, infrastructure, library expenditure and the permanent endowment fund – changes the government described as an effort toward “deregulation”.
However, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that the government would withdraw the bill entirely rather than refer it to a Select Committee.
Sawant said that the bill contained two main components: deregulation and aligning private universities with the University Grants Commission (UGC) framework. He said that the proposed changes were intended for future universities and would not have affected the state’s three existing private universities.
Sawant said that UGC and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) norms would be strictly followed by any new institution, and assured that the government will bring a fresh amendment aligned with UGC norms regarding land, endowment and library facilities.
Prior to the withdrawal, Opposition members strongly demanded that the bill be referred to a Select Committee and questioned why it was not originally drafted according to UGC standards.
Leader of the Opposition and Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao targeted the removal of the Rs 5-crore endowment fund requirement – which acts as financial security under existing law – calling the fund an “insurance policy” for students and demanding that safeguards be retained.
Under the current 2020 Act, sponsoring bodies must create a permanent endowment fund of at least Rs 5 crore, which the government can forfeit in part or full if regulations are violated. The bill proposed omitting Section 3(a) and Section 50, which prescribe and govern the fund.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai warned that “deregulation without accountability is dangerous,” arguing that the objective should be making it easier to establish good universities rather than simply easier to set up institutions. Sardesai questioned what had changed in just 17 months to dilute safeguards introduced in 2025, and raised concerns over whether the deregulation was tied to facilitating private real estate interests.
Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral also urged caution, warning that excessive relaxation could reduce universities to “coaching hubs” lacking adequate academic, research and sporting infrastructure.
Opposition MLAs Viresh Borkar, Carlos Ferreira, Altone D’Costa and Venzy Veigas echoed these concerns, warning that the amendments favoured promoters over students and threatened Goa’s higher-education standards.
Beyond the endowment fund, the bill proposed removing requirements to initially purchase Rs 50 lakh worth of books and periodicals, as well as the mandate for a further Rs 5-crore library investment over the first three years.
The bill also sought to alter infrastructure requirements by removing the existing provision mandating the ownership or 30-year lease of at least 50,000 square metres of land.
Additionally, the bill proposed modifying leadership appointments: Vice-Chancellor selections would follow UGC regulations, replacing the current process where the President appoints the role in consultation with the government from a panel of three recommendations, while Pro-Vice-Chancellors would be appointed by the Executive Council on the Vice-Chancellor’s recommendation.
