Prez speaks against menace of ragging

President Pratibha Patil on Thursday came down strongly against ragging, asking the chiefs of premier academic institutions including those of IITs and IIMs to see that the "reprehensible and hideous" practice which is "vitiating" the educational atmosphere is completely eliminated.

President Pratibha Patil on Thursday came down strongly against ragging, asking the chiefs of premier academic institutions including those of IITs and IIMs to see that the "reprehensible and hideous" practice which is "vitiating" the educational atmosphere is completely eliminated.

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She called for creating "zero tolerance" to the menace that affected lakhs of students.

"I am sure you will vigorously work towards it with all sincerity," she told her audience that included, among others, V-Cs and representatives from 58 central universities who had gathered to see her launch a unique initiative.

Until now, the President has either been inaugurating or participating in seminars. But in a first, on Thursday Patil held one at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 'Universalisation of Roshni---a green innovation for sustainable urban habitats'.

Roshni is a green initiative developed by Rashtrapati Bhavan which Patil now wants to take to other institutions and areas, including building capacities of people. And if her exhortation to heads of institutes was any indication, making a living space more liveable also involved tackling issues like ragging.

"While we discuss nature-friendly agendas to improve the external environs, I want to take advantage of the presence of heads of premier educational institutions, to digress a little and particularly emphasise the need to concurrently instill internal harmony in their sylvan surroundings," she said.

Union ministers Farooq Abdullah and Kamal Nath, who shared the dais with her, assured to take her initiative forward.