Amidst minimal opposition, the Jharkhand Assembly passed five key bills on Tuesday, including the Jharkhand State University Bill 2025. This bill empowers the Chief Minister with the responsibility of appointing Vice-Chancellors and Pro-Vice-Chancellors of universities, in addition to other key administrative positions. Moreover, the state government will now be responsible for all hiring and promotions within universities and colleges. The Senate will be presided over by the Pro-VC or the Minister of Higher and Technical Education, and will convene twice annually. Other significant legislation includes the Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill 2025, aimed at curbing exorbitant fees in private professional institutions by establishing a regulatory structure. This bill will also introduce a student grievance redressal mechanism. The Jharkhand Coaching Center (Control and Regulation) Bill 2025, also approved, establishes a state-level authority to oversee and regulate coaching centers, along with district-level regulatory bodies. It mandates registration for all coaching centers, students, teachers, and mental health counselors, and requires coaching centers to offer career guidance and psychological counseling services by registered mental health counselors. The Jharkhand Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Special Exemption) Bill 2025 was also passed, offering exemptions from approvals and inspections to MSMEs, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and economic development. Furthermore, the Jharkhand Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill 2025 was approved to ensure decent work, minimum wages, and social security for gig workers, encompassing independent contractors, online platform workers, and temporary employees, and will implement a registration system for them.
