Bhubaneswar, July 14: In the wake of a recent self-immolation attempt by a female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, the Odisha Higher Education Department has issued an urgent directive to all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges, for immediate compliance with regulations related to Internal Committees (IC) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The department instructs institutions to act within 24 hours and ensure full compliance with the rules laid out in Section 4 of the Act. This includes the constitution of Internal Committees with proper representation of women members and external representatives, in accordance with UGC Regulations, 2015.
Key Directives Issued:
Submit compliance within 24 hours: Institutions must confirm the formation of Internal Committees and ensure they are constituted according to the legal provisions.
Public disclosure of IC members: Names and contact details of all IC members must be displayed prominently on campus to ensure general awareness. Their details must also be uploaded on the HIMS (Higher Education Management Information System) portal.
Conduct sensitisation workshops: All colleges and universities must organize immediate workshops on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 for both students and faculty.
Institutions have also been asked to upload a geo-tagged photograph showing where IC details are displayed, to a specified Google Drive link for verification.
The department emphasized that the matter is to be treated with the highest urgency, in light of recent events highlighting the need for robust mechanisms to safeguard women on campuses.
