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Bhubaneswar, July 19, 2025: Odisha government has launched a scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women in educational institutions, after a girl student set herself on fire alleging sexual harassment by a professor in FM College Balasore.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today launched the Shaktishree scheme to ensure the safety, security, and empowerment of women in universities and colleges.
Majhi described it as a transformative empowerment and self-defence initiative that will cover 16 state universities and 730 government and aided colleges in Odisha.
To enhance security, campuses will be brought under 24×7 CCTV surveillance and each educational institutions must submit an annual campus safety report by December 31 every year.
Besides that 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, he said.
To provide further support, each district will nominate five senior women professionals, called Shakti Sisters, who will mentor students and visit campuses every three months.
The government will also provide a mobile app through which girl 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 binding by code of conduct to ensure professional behaviour and gender sensitisation and also they will undergo annual online training related to the POSH Act, 2013, and UGC Regulations, 2015.
Besides that a biannual campaign called SAFE (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment) will be conducted to raise awareness on gender issues, bullying, and harassment.
An annual event called ‘Shakti Swarupini’ will also be held for student and faculty coordinators to receive training, share feedback, and strengthen the programme.
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