The Jharkhand Assembly passed five bills on Tuesday, amidst minor opposition. These included the Jharkhand State University Bill 2025, the Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill 2025, the Jharkhand Coaching Center (Control and Regulation) Bill 2025, the Jharkhand Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill 2025, and the Jharkhand Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Special Exemption) Bill. The Jharkhand State University Bill 2025 grants the Chief Minister of Jharkhand the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors (VCs) and Pro-Vice-Chancellors, as well as registrars, controllers of examinations, and financial advisors for universities. The state government will now also decide on the recruitment and promotion of teachers and non-teaching staff in universities and colleges. Furthermore, the Pro-VC or the Minister of Higher and Technical Education will preside over the Senate, which will meet twice a year. Another bill, the Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill 2025, seeks to prevent arbitrary fees in private professional educational institutions. It establishes a regulatory framework to determine fees and prevent exploitation. A grievance redressal mechanism will be set up for students in these institutions. The Jharkhand Coaching Center (Control and Regulation) Bill 2025 introduces a state-level authority to oversee coaching centers, with district-level regulatory authorities. All coaching centers, students, teachers, and mental health counselors will be required to register. Coaching centers will be mandated to provide career guidance and psychological counseling services by registered mental health counselors. The Jharkhand Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Special Exemption) Bill 2025 grants exemptions from approvals and inspections to MSMEs, promoting entrepreneurship and inclusive economic development. The Jharkhand Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill 2025 aims to ensure decent work, establish minimum wages, and develop a regulatory mechanism for social security for gig workers, including independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-demand workers, and temporary employees. A registration system will be implemented for gig workers to ensure their welfare.
