Bhubaneswar, 21st July 2025: In a significant move to create a safe environment for female students studying in higher education institutions across the state, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today announced the launch of the ‘Shaktishree’ scheme. The initiative comes in the wake of a tragic incident where a girl student from FM College in Balasore, unable to bear the trauma of harassment, died by self-immolation. The scheme aims to prevent any such recurrence in the future.
The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of protecting citizens’ individual rights and dignity, especially women’s safety and security. The state government is committed to implementing a structured program in colleges and universities to ensure the safety of female students.
In response to increasing reports of crimes against girl students in educational institutions in recent times, the ‘Shaktishree Empowerment Program’ has been launched. The Chief Minister stated that the program will be implemented in 16 universities and 730 government and government-aided colleges across the state. He shared detailed information on eight major components of the scheme.
As part of the initiative, a permanent Shaktishree Empowerment Centre will be established in each college and university, to be managed by a female student designated as ‘Shaktishree Saathi’ and a faculty member designated as ‘Shaktishree Coordinator’.
Additionally, five prominent women nominated by the district collector will function as ‘Shakti Aapa’, visiting each educational institution once every three months to serve as mentors and advisors for the girl students.
These empowerment centers will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and empowerment of girl students and female staff in colleges and universities. The centers will also organize a six-day training program, dividing students into batches for training sessions.
Training will cover areas such as personal safety, legal rights, and mental health awareness, helping girl students become more informed, confident, and resilient.
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