Bhubaneswar: In a dramatic escalation of its drive to eradicate sexual harassment in academia, the Odisha Higher Education Department today issued an “Urgent” circular mandating every state public and private university, as well as all government‑aided and unaided degree colleges, to finalize and publicize their Internal Committees (ICs) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, within just 24 hours.
Signed by Deputy Director Rajata Kumar Mansingh, the letter (No. 37032/HE‑PTC‑MISC‑0035‑2024) reminds institutions of earlier communications dating back to September 2024 and May 2025, but warns that no further delay will be tolerated. Under Section 4 of the Act and following UGC’s 2015 regulations on prevention and redressal in higher educational institutions, each campus must now appoint and furnish appropriate representation— including women members and an external expert—on its IC.
Beyond mere constitution, colleges and universities must display the names and contact numbers of all IC members prominently on campus noticeboards and upload the same information to the HIMS portal. Within the next week, every institution is also expected to conduct sensitisation workshops on the Act for both students and faculty. To verify compliance, the department has insisted on a geo‑tagged photograph showing the IC display to be uploaded to a dedicated Google Drive link by the close of business tomorrow.
The department’s tone leaves little doubt that this directive arises from mounting public pressure and a series of high‑profile campus harassment scandals. By demanding both transparency and immediate action, Odisha’s education authorities have signalled a zero‑tolerance stance: institutions failing to comply risk facing strict disciplinary measures.
