HECI: Will it improve academic standards?

The goal of HECI will be to 'promote the autonomy of higher educational institutions' and also to regulate academic standards

The draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Act, 2018 (hereafter, HECI Act), when enacted, will abolish UGC and establish HECI, as the regulator for higher education. The HECI will not subsume the All India Council for Technical Education and the National Council for Teacher Education. 

Unlike UGC, HECI will not have that role of allocating funds to universities and colleges. The government will allocate funds directly. This is a welcome move. HECI will be able to focus solely on academics. Often, the criticism against UGC is that it has turned into a funding agency.