New Delhi — The Indian government has shelved the introduction of a bill in parliament that would allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India, the Indian Express reported.

“The bill will not be taken to parliament now,” an unnamed top government official told the newspaper. “There was no consensus on the bill. It is on the back burner,” the official added.

The bill was originally scheduled to be introduced in parliament in early 2007, but it had been delayed because the country’s communist parties that supported the coalition federal government strongly opposed the entry of foreign universities, arguing that they would exacerbate existing inequalities.

However, after the communist parties withdrew support of the coalition government last July, Arjun Singh, the minister in charge of higher education, confirmed that the bill would be introduced in parliament, and most observers expected it would be passed. It wasn’t introduced in the winter session and isn’t expected to be introduced in the summer session, either of which would be the last session for the current government. National elections are scheduled for this spring.

The National Knowledge Commission, a high-profile advisory body created by the prime minister for reforms in higher education, had called for liberalizing policies to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India to create a more competitive environment for education. —Shailaja Neelakantan