In view of He accused of sexual harassment after the student’s death in BalasoreThe Odisha government on Saturday announced a new initiative called Shaktisri, which aims to ensure a safe educational environment in colleges and universities in the state.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who announced the initiative, said it would be implemented in 16 state -run universities and 730 government and aided colleges.
The announcement was made at a time when the death of a college student was set on fire from various quarters, who alleged him of sexual harassment by a professor and set himself on fire after his complaints. The incident made one headlines on the safety of women in the state and triggered nationwide resentment.
Under the new initiative, there will be a “empowerment cell” in each college and university, which will be managed by women students. “Sale will ensure training of women students in areas such as self -defense, legal rights and mental health. It will also create awareness on various aspects of digital security,” said Chief Minister Majhi.
A dedicated mobile app will also be launched to help women students to increase their grievances with internal grievance committees and join mental health experts in case of stress and anxiety. It will also have facilities like SOS button in terms of emergency.
The state government has also decided to come up with a code of conduct for the professors of the university and college. Officials said that now professors will have to take an online training module with women safety, gender equality and professional morality.
A campaign, called Shaktishree Actions for Female Meamownement, will be launched in colleges, under which self -defense training will be conducted twice a year. It will also include workshops on women’s safety and rights. The Chief Minister said that this step will promote the trust of women students.
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The state -run colleges and universities will now have to submit a campus safety report, which will highlight the steps taken by the authorities to ensure the safety of the students.
As part of the initiative of Shakti, the Chief Minister said that adequate number of CCTVs will also be established in all colleges and universities, and a control room will be set up for monitoring.
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