Latest news with #POSHAct
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
‘Shaktishree' launched for safety of girl students
Bhubaneswar: Daysafter the self-immolation death of a college student in Balasore over alleged sexual harassment, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched 'Shaktishree', a State-wide initiative to ensure safety, security and empowerment of women in universities and colleges. The Chief Minister described 'Shaktishree' as a 'transformative empowerment and self-defence initiative' that will cover 16 State universities and 730 government and aided colleges. 'This initiative will ensure the safety of girl students and create safer and more inclusive campuses in our higher education institutions,' Majhi said. The Chief Minister said as part of the initiative, every institution will have a 'Shaktishree Empowerment Cell' -- a student-led body coordinated by a woman faculty member and a female student. This cell will focus on promoting safety, self-defence and emotional well-being among students and staff. To provide further support, each district will nominate five senior women professionals, called 'Shakti Apas', who will mentor students and visit campuses every three months. A dedicated mobile app will also be launched that will offer a secure platform for women students and staff to register complaints anonymously — via text, audio, or video — seek counselling and access mental health services through Tele-MANAS, a national mental health initiative. All teaching and non-teaching staff will be required to undergo annual online training related to the POSH Act, 2013, and UGC Regulations, 2015. A mandatory code of conduct will be enforced to ensure professional behaviour and gender sensitisation. In addition, a biannual campaign called SAFE (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment) will be conducted to raise awareness on gender issues, bullying and harassment. Each institution must also submit an annual campus safety report by December 31 every year. To enhance security, campuses will be brought under 24x7 CCTV surveillance. An annual event called 'Shakti Swarupini' will also be held for student and faculty coordinators to receive training, share feedback and strengthen the programme.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Nashik ZP initiates POSH training in district
Nashik: After multiple complaints of sexual harassment against senior zilla parishad (ZP) officials, the administration has initiated prevention of sexual harassment (POSH) training of employees at the taluka level across Nashik district. Under this, ZP employees will be sensitized and educated about what constitutes sexual harassment, its prevention and reporting procedure within the workplace. The idea is to provide for a better and safer environment. Chief executive officer Ashima Mittal, stated that the training is to ensure women come forward and register complaints. "The POSH Act is very strong and provides opportunities to women to present their cases if they feel they are being harassed and abused at the workplace. Many still don't find the courage to speak up against the injustice, and hence the sensitisation workshops are being conducted across all the offices of the zilla parishad," said the CEO. Three cases were filed in the Nashik ZP where senior officials were accused of sexually harassing their subordinates. Following these accusations, state govt suspended one official and the other two were sent on forced leave. The Vishakha Committee had already initiated an investigation which is now complete. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This New AC Cooler Cools the Room In Seconds Coldeez Cooling Ace Undo "The training will give them the necessary information and also the courage to ensure they or their colleagues are heard and do not face any injustice at the workplace for raising their voice. This is not a crime," the CEO added. There are instances when women have no idea about the POSH Act, or even the Vishakha Committee mandated by state govt, where they are heard with identities concealed. "The men and women both need to understand what the POSH Act means and what is defined as harassment. The Vishakha Committee that receives the complaints has to go through each of the complaints and present the report to the govt. The exercise will help bring out the cases of harassment, if any, to the fore," a senior official said.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha government directs strict implementation of POSH Act at workplace, educational institutions
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has directed all departments, revenue divisional commissioners, district collectors and urban local bodies to strictly comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the POSH Act. The move comes in the wake of death of the Balasore student's self-immolation incident. The measure aims to ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for women in workplaces and educational institutions. "It has been observed that in many organisations, the implementation of POSH Act 2013 is not adequate. An important step in this direction is creating awareness amongst all personnel in workplaces and students. It is imperative that sensitivity and knowledge about this Act is generated not only amongst girls and women but also amongst boys and men," said an order issued by the Women and Child Development department. The department has also issued a draft Do's and Don'ts in IEC board on sexual harassment of women at the workplace for display at prominent locations of government offices and campuses of educational institutions. "It is requested to kindly display the same at multiple conspicuous places in the workplace/ school/ college/ institution," the order said. The W&CD department further directed authorities concerned to ensure that all internal committees (ICs) are onboarded onto the She Box portal where details are registered.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Odisha Launches 'Shaktishree' Initiative For Women's Safety On Campus
Bhubaneswar: Days after the self-immolation death of a college student in Balasore over alleged sexual harassment, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched 'Shaktishree', a state-wide initiative to ensure the safety, security, and empowerment of women in universities and colleges. The CM described 'Shaktishree' as a "transformative empowerment and self-defence initiative" that will cover 16 state universities and 730 government and aided colleges. "This initiative will ensure the safety of girl students and create safer and more inclusive campuses in our higher education institutions," Majhi said. The CM said as part of the initiative, every institution will have a 'Shaktishree Empowerment Cell'-a student-led body coordinated by a woman faculty member and a female student. This cell will focus on promoting safety, self-defence, and emotional well-being among students and staff. To provide further support, each district will nominate five senior women professionals, called 'Shakti Apas', who will mentor students and visit campuses every three months. A dedicated mobile app will also be launched that will offer a secure platform for women students and staff to register complaints anonymously - via text, audio, or video - seek counselling, and access mental health services through Tele-MANAS, a national mental health initiative. All teaching and non-teaching staff will be required to undergo annual online training related to the POSH Act, 2013, and UGC Regulations, 2015. A mandatory code of conduct will be enforced to ensure professional behaviour and gender sensitisation. In addition, a biannual campaign called SAFE (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment) will be conducted to raise awareness on gender issues, bullying, and harassment. Each institution must also submit an annual campus safety report by December 31 every year. To enhance security, campuses will be brought under 24x7 CCTV surveillance. An annual event called 'Shakti Swarupini' will also be held for student and faculty coordinators to receive training, share feedback, and strengthen the programme.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
All depts asked to ensure women safety at workplace
Bhubaneswar: TheOdisha government on Thursday directed all departments to ensure women's safety at workplaces in the State. The direction came in the wake of the self-immolation death of a college student following an alleged inaction by the authorities over her complaint of sexual harassment against a teacher. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja wrote to all government departments to ensure compliance with the Provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 by all institutions or organisations. In the letter, the Chief Secretary said that the implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act in workplaces and institutions is essential to ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all, particularly women. He has also directed the department heads and authorities that the compliance report on the action points be submitted to the Department of Women and Child Development within 15 days. 'Sexual harassment not only violates an individual's dignity and rights but also undermines productivity, morale and equal opportunities,' he said. Ahuja also mentioned in the letter that by enforcing the POSH Act, organisations fulfil their legal and ethical responsibility to prevent, prohibit and redress instances of harassment. He said it fosters a culture of accountability, encourages reporting without fear and builds trust among employees or members, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more equitable work or institutional space. Ahuja has also advised all the department authorities to go for the constitution of Internal Committee (IC), capacity building and sensitisation, time-bound inquiry and redressal mechanism, annual reporting and transparency and responsibility of management. 'The head of the institution shall be held personally responsible for ensuring effective implementation of the POSH Act, as well as for any lapses in safeguarding complainants and preventing retaliation,' Ahuja said. The Chief Secretary also asked all administrative heads to constitute or revalidate IC and ensure meeting of IC once in a month for the next six months to create awareness and build momentum for the campaign against sexual harassment in educational institutions. Thereafter, the ICs should meet in each quarter as per the Act. He asked the authorities to ensure the grievance redressal mechanism, such as the She-Box portal, along with details of the IC, is prominently displayed in multiple locations in all institutions, mandate periodic awareness and capacity-building sessions for all staff and students, monitor and enforce compliance through regular inspections and require all institutions to submit status reports. The college and school authorities are also told to regularly visit educational institutions and interact with students, the Chief Secretary said. The second-year student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore died at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on Monday night. She had set herself on fire on the college campus on July 12 over inaction against a professor who allegedly sexually harassed her. Stating that the State government is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and empowerment of women in all educational and professional environments, Ahuja said district administrations are therefore expected to act with urgency and diligence to create a safe environment for girls and women and uphold the provisions of the law in both letter and spirit.
