"UGC Notifies 54 Allied Healthcare Degrees Under NCAHP Regulatory Framework"
NCAHP Act, 2021
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act; establishes the apex statutory body for regulating allied health education and professional standards in India.
Competency-based curriculum
An educational framework that defines what a graduate must be able to do, emphasising practical skills and clinical training over contact hours alone.
India's healthcare system has long relied on a large but poorly regulated allied and paramedical workforce. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical laboratory technicians, radiographers, and dozens of other professionals form the backbone of multidisciplinary care. Yet, until recently, no single national body governed their education or professional standards. Degree names, course durations, and entry qualifications varied widely across states and universities, creating confusion for students, employers, and international bodies.
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021 was enacted to fill this gap. It established the NCAHP as the apex statutory body for regulating education and professional services across allied and healthcare professions in India. The Act covers a wide range of professions scheduled under it and mandates the Commission to set uniform curricula, degree nomenclature, and professional standards. This mirrors the model used for medical education under the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2020, which replaced the Medical Council of India.
Education is a Concurrent List subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Both Parliament and state legislatures can legislate on it. This shared jurisdiction has historically produced uneven standards, with states running their own diploma and degree programmes in allied health fields without a common national benchmark. The NCAHP framework is designed to impose national uniformity within this federal structure.
The NCAHP Act, 2021 provides for the regulation and maintenance of standards of education and professional services across allied and healthcare professions. The Commission has the authority to prescribe minimum standards for courses, approve institutions, and maintain a national register of qualified professionals. Its mandate is broadly comparable to that of the Bar Council of India for law or the Pharmacy Council of India for pharmacy, a statutory regulator ensuring that a degree from any accredited institution meets a common national floor.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) plays a complementary role. Under Section 22(3) of the UGC Act, 1956, the UGC specifies which degrees may be awarded by universities in India. A degree not notified by the UGC cannot be legally conferred. This is why NCAHP-designed programmes require a corresponding UGC notification to become formally valid academic qualifications. …
With reference to the 'Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan', consider the following statements:
1.This scheme guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy and six months post-delivery health care service in any government health facility.
2.Under this scheme, private sector health care providers of certain specialities can volunteer to provide services at nearby government health facilities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements :
1.It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
2.It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
3.It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, consider the following statements:
1.Private and public hospitals must adopt it.
2.As it aims to achieve universal health coverage, every citizen of India should be part of it ultimately.
3.It has seamless portability across the country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the constitutional basis for the Union Government's authority to legislate on allied healthcare education in India?
With reference to the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), consider the following statements:
1.NCAHP was established under an Act of Parliament enacted in 2021.
2.NCAHP has released competency-based curricula covering 28 allied and healthcare professions.
3.Degrees in allied and healthcare professions require notification by the UGC under the UGC Act, 1956 to be legally valid.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, which of the following correctly describes the provision under which the UGC specifies degrees that universities in India may legally award?
Consider the following statements about the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021:
1.It provides for the regulation of education and professional services across allied and healthcare professions in India.
2.It mandates that all states must implement NCAHP-prescribed competency-based curricula from the academic year in which they are notified, with no phase-in option.
3.The NCAHP has statutory authority to maintain a national register of qualified allied health professionals.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs of postgraduate allied health degrees and the number of specialisations notified under the UGC's 5th Amendment to the Specification of Degrees:
1.Master of Occupational Therapy — 9 specialisations
2.Master of Physiotherapy — 8 specialisations
3.Master of Medical Laboratory Sciences — 3 specialisations
4.Master of Respiratory Technology — 2 specialisations
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
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