Mumbai, Dec 15 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to amend the Public Universities Act in order to empower the state government in recommending to the governor the names for the post of vice chancellors, a move being seen as an attempt to clip the governor's powers.

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The governor is the chancellor of the universities in the state and makes appointments of vice chancellors based on the recommendations of a committee.

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A statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the committee set up to recommend the names of vice chancellors will suggest five names to the state government, which in turn will forward two names to the governor for selection.

The Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, will be amended and the state government will be given the powers to recommend to the governor the names for the vice chancellor's posts.

As per the present provision of the Act, a vice chancellor is appointed by the chancellor on recommendation of a committee, which comprises a nominee of the chancellor, who is a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court, principal secretary of the higher and technical education department, director or head of an institute of national repute established by an Act of Parliament.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, shares a strained relationship with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. There have been several flashpoints between him and the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation over various issues.

The CMO statement further said that state's higher and technical education minister will be the pro-chancellor of the universities in the state.

The decision is part of the steps to be taken for the effective implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 in order to improve the standard of higher and technical education. A committee headed by Dr Sukhdev Thorat, former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), was set up to recommend the measures for the same. Accordingly, the state higher and technical education minister will be the pro chancellor, it added.

Meanwhile, the cabinet also gave its approval to withdraw the three bills related to amendments in agriculture, co-operation, food and civil supplies to counter the farm laws enacted by the central government. These three bills were introduced in the monsoon session of the state legislature in July this year.

With the Centre repealing the farm laws, the state government will also withdraw the bills in the winter session of the state legislature.

The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature will begin on December 22 in Mumbai.

A Marathi language and literature preservation and conservation board will also be set up. A new post of the director of Marathi language and literature has been included, the statement said.

Another board has been set up for providing equal opportunities to deprived sections of the society, reserved category, transgenders and specially-abled.

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