Punjab Government is all set to include the Anti-Ragging Bill in the State curriculum. With an aim to bring to close the chapter on the ever-increasing menace of ragging in the educational institutes across the state, the Punjab Government will table the Bill in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session.
The approval to the Bill was given by the State Cabinet in its Friday meeting with the sole purpose to effectively check the menace.
With a nationwide anger on the Aman Kachroo ‘death by ragging’ case, the Punjab Government took four long years after the unfortunate incident to finally wake up to the threat.
Where ragging has ruined the lives of many, including Himachal medical student Aman Kachroo, the resistance against this ‘menace’ has grown up only recently. Besides several States across the country who have made law-makers banning ragging, the Supreme Court has also taken a strong stand to curb ragging and declared it a ‘criminal offence’.
Even as the State Government has, time and again, issued instructions to deal with the growing menace, and come up with a mechanism at some places, the menace continues unabated. The Act, to be tabled, proposes strict action against the guilty, deputing a Nodal Officer to deal with ragging cases. Besides, it also proposes a testimony from the freshers’ and their parents that they are against ragging.
Under the proposed act, anti-ragging committees would be proposed in the educational institutions. Keeping the power of these committees under check, the Act proposed that the decision of these
committees could be challenged before a high-level three-member committee.
The three-member committee would comprise Administrative Secretaries of Higher Education, Technical Education and Medical Education departments.
Even as the State Government has directed constitution of anti-ragging committees in all the technical education institutions including the teachers and parents of students as its members, the committees, actually, are sans powers. Besides, strict instructions have also been issued to all the concerned officials to implement the anti-ragging guidelines in true manner in all educational institutions and a strict action would be taken against the institutions failing to follow the instructions in this regard. But, in reality, there are many loopholes.
With an Act expected to come into being after the likely approval by the House, the State Government is aiming at putting an end to the menace.
As of now, the State Government has set up an Anti-Ragging Cell at the office of Director, Technical Education, in the Chandigarh’s Technical Education Bhavan.
The State Government has set 9501001578 or 9814804321 numbers for the ragging victims to register their complaints against ragging, besides an e-mail — computer_section_dte@yahoo.com.
Already, the UGC has set up a toll free number — 1800-180-5522, and an e-mail ID — helpline@antiragging.in, to file any complaint regarding the ragging.
