Odisha CM: Shaktishree Programme to roll out soon in over 700 colleges, varsities

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

Published on: Jul 20, 2025, 13:56:11 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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