Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja has directed all departments and institutions to strictly comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. This move aims to ensure a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for women in workplaces and institutions.
The Chief Secretary emphasised the importance of implementing the POSH Act to prevent, prohibit, and redress instances of harassment. He highlighted critical provisions, including constituting Internal Committees (ICs), capacity building, and sensitisation, time-bound inquiry and redressal mechanisms, annual reporting, and transparency.
To ensure compliance, administrative heads have been directed to take several actions, including:
Constituting or revalidating ICs in all institutions
Ensuring regular meetings of ICs
Displaying grievance redressal mechanisms and IC details prominently
Mandating periodic awareness and capacity-building sessions
Monitoring and enforcing compliance through regular inspections
Holding heads of institutions accountable for non-compliance
Uploading required details and reports on the She-Box portal
The State Government is committed to ensuring women’s safety, dignity, and empowerment. District Administrations are expected to act with urgency and diligence to create a safe environment for girls and women.
A compliance report on the action points is to be submitted to the Department of Women and Child Development within 15 days. The Chief Secretary has requested senior officials to review the implementation of these directives regularly and ensure compliance during field visits to educational institutions.
