Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday declared the inception of 'Shaktishree', a holistic programme to ensure the security and safety of women students and employees on all higher educational institutions' campuses in the state.
This was declared in the aftermath of the death of a 20-year-old student through self-immolation following a reported case of sexual harassment at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore.
Terming Shaktishree as a "transformative empowerment and self-defence programme", Chief Minister said it will be conducted at 16 state universities and 730 state-run and aided colleges in the state for the safety of girl students.
"This programme will make girl students safe and provide safer and more inclusive campuses to our higher education institutions," said Majhi.
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'Eight focus points including Shaktishree Empowerment Cell, Shaktishree Mobile Application, Teaching and Non-Teaching Staffs Code of Conduct, SAFE Campaign (Shaktishree Actions for Female Empowerment), Annual Campus Safety Report, CCTV Surveillance, Online courses on POSH Act, 2013 and UGC Regulations and Shakti Swarupini (all individuals who are taking part in the initiative) will have Shaktishree', officials added.
CM Majhi reiterated the state’s commitment to women’s safety, saying the Shaktishree initiative would not just be a symbolic gesture, but a structured, accountable system to prevent incidents and build trust in educational institutions.
“We are not just responding to incidents— we are building a safer future. Our colleges must become safe havens of learning, not places of fear,” he asserted.
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