Latest news with #ShaktishreeProgramme
Hindustan Times
20-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Odisha CM: Shaktishree Programme to roll out soon in over 700 colleges, varsities
Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said the Shaktishree Programme—a comprehensive initiative aimed at ensuring safety, empowerment, and gender sensitivity across higher educational institutions—will be rolled out in 16 universities and 730 government and aided colleges across the state. Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that all higher educational institutions will be required to submit an Annual Campus Safety Report by December 31. (CMO Odisha-X) This comes in the wake of the death of a 20-year-old college girl in Odisha's Balasore district following a self-immolation attempt over her sexual harassment by a professor. 'The Shaktishree Programme is a decisive step toward making our campuses safer, inclusive, and empowering for our daughters. It is not just a scheme—it is a movement for gender equality and respect,' Majhi said. Every college and university will form a Shaktishree Empowerment Cell, a student-led body, which will be managed by a female student, the 'Shaktishree Saathi', and mentored by a female faculty member, the 'Shaktishree Coordinator'. Additionally, five accomplished working women, nominated by the district collector, will serve as 'Shakti Apas'. They will visit campuses quarterly to guide and mentor students. Also Read: A wake-up call from Odisha An annual workshop titled 'Shakti Swarupini' will be held for all Shaktishree Saathis, Coordinators, and Apas. The cell will organise a six-day training program covering self-defence, legal rights, mental health, and digital safety awareness. A dedicated Shaktishree App is in the pipeline too, Majhi said. The app will allow female students to anonymously report harassment, consult mental health professionals, access Tele-MANAS services, and use an SOS emergency button to seek immediate help. The app will also provide details of internal committees and offer escalation mechanisms if complaints are not adequately addressed. Majhi added that a special Code of Conduct for faculty and non-teaching staff will be implemented, along with mandatory annual online training on gender sensitivity and women's safety. Under the SAFE (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment) Campaign, camps and workshops on self-defense will be held. Also Read: Girl, 15, set on fire by 3 men in Odisha's Puri days after Balasore student's self-immolation An online course on The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) and University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines will be introduced for students and staff. Also, CCTV cameras will be installed at key locations based on internal recommendations, and a control room will monitor the live feeds, Majhi said. All higher educational institutions will be required to submit an Annual Campus Safety Report by December 31.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Under attack from Opposition, BJP govt. in Odisha launches ‘Shaktishree' for safety of girls in colleges
Under attack from the Opposition over the death of a girl, who set herself on fire on the campus of her college in Balasore over alleged sexual harassment, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi-led government in Odisha on Saturday announced a special programme, Shaktishree, to ensure safety of girls in institutes of higher education in the State. 'The State government has decided to launch a programme to ensure the safety and security of girl students in colleges and universities. This initiative is in response to the rise in crimes against girl students in recent days across institutions of higher education. This new scheme aims to prevent such incidents and keep students safe. This initiative is named Shaktishree Programme,' the Chief Minister said in Bhubaneswar. This programme will be implemented across all 16 universities and 730 government and government-aided colleges under the the Higher Education Department of the State. Shaktishree, based on eight different key components, will help ensure a safe academic environment in colleges and universities and to provide self-defence training to undergraduate and postgraduate girl students, the government said. The announcement comes after a 20-year-old Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze on the campus following alleged sexual harassment by a professor of her college, died of injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. As per reports, despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. Student-run cells The State government proposed to set up a permanent 'Shaktishree Empowerment Cell' in every college and university, which will be operated by girl students. 'Each cell will be managed by a girl student designated as Shaktishree Saathi and a woman faculty member as Shaktishree Sanyojika (coordinator). Additionally, five working women designated as Shakti Appa (sister), nominated by the district collector, will function as mentors. These Shakti Appas will visit the institutions every three months and act as mentors to the girl students,' said Mr. Majhi. The cell will organise a six-day training programme in batches for girl students on self-defence, legal rights, and mental health. Mobile app to raise complaints A Shaktishree mobile app will also be made available to students. This is expected to spread awareness of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC), their rules and functions, and contact details of members. Moreover, it will help a girl to confidentially report complaints via text, audio, or video, which will directly reach the ICC chairperson of her institution. If a student feels her issue is not resolved by the ICC, she can escalate it to the local committee. A detailed standard operating procedure will soon be issued by the Higher Education Department. The government has also recommended for a code of conduct for teachers and non-teaching staff, who will be required to complete an annual online training module to enhance awareness of women's safety, gender sensitivity, and professional ethics. A campaign named SAFE (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment) will be launched to raise awareness on gender equality and women's empowerment. It will include bi-annual self-defence camps and awareness workshops on women's rights and safety. This will boost the self-confidence of girl students and help foster a secure academic environment. Moreover, each college will submit an annual Campus Safety Report by December 31 every year. The government will bring all colleges and universities under CCTV surveillance with a separate control room for surveillance.
