Bhubaneswar: In an era when student safety has become an urgent concern, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s proactive launch of the ‘Shaktishree’ initiative on Saturday evening appears not only timely but also visionary. The programme, unveiled in response to the recent tragic incident involving a girl student at FM College, Balasore, aims at the physical and mental empowerment of girl students — striking a delicate yet determined balance between compassion and structural reform.
According to experts, at its heart, Shaktishree is a forward-thinking approach to nurturing both the physical and mental well-being of students, particularly girls, across Odisha’s higher education landscape. By embedding the initiative into 730 government and government-aided colleges, along with 16 universities, the CM has signalled a shift toward a more student-centric, responsive administrative culture.
The introduction of the Shaktishree mobile application — equipped with an anonymous complaint feature, SOS button, and direct access to mental health support via Tele-MANAS — is not just a digital measure but a meaningful reassurance to thousands of young minds seeking safe spaces to learn and grow.
What adds a deeply humane layer to this programme is the creation of a mentorship framework led by Shaktishree Apas — five dedicated women mentors per district who will interact directly with students. This grassroots-level engagement could potentially bridge the trust deficit that often exists between students and institutional authorities.
The government’s insistence on annual gender sensitivity training for all staff, the installation of CCTV cameras, and the setting up of Shakti Kendras in every college reflect a holistic understanding of the problem. The mandatory yearly safety audit and the institutionalised Shakti Swarupuni workshop further signal the CM’s intent to ensure accountability, rather than relying on reactive, fire-fighting mechanisms.
By gently embedding layers of protection, awareness, and accountability, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi is, in effect, laying down the foundation for a new social contract between students and institutions. While the real test will lie in implementation, the blueprint has all the right ingredients — empathy, foresight, and structure.
In Shaktishree, Odisha finds more than just a policy; it discovers a promise — a promise that safety, dignity, and empowerment will not be optional, but institutional. And for that, the CM and his team deserve credit not just for taking action, but for taking the right action at the right time.
