Govt seeks compliance from edu institutes on ICC
The higher education department, in an urgent letter, asked the colleges and universities to include appropriate representation of women members and external representatives in the committees. They were also instructed to follow UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015.
The department asked the institutes to display the name and contact number of all ICC members in a proper place for general awareness and upload their details in the higher education information management system (HIMS) portal.
The govt also directed the institutes to immediately organise workshops on the Act for the sensitisation of students and faculty members. "You are further requested to ensure that a geo-tagged photograph of the location where the details of the ICC are displayed is uploaded to the link positively," wrote Rajata Kumar Mansingh, deputy director of higher education.
The department earlier communicated to all colleges and universities about the constitution of ICC.
Some colleges do not have ICCs, and some have not formed them as per UGC rules.
University Grants Commission (UGC) has been issuing guidelines to all universities and colleges to set up ICCs and take necessary steps to prevent and redress sexual harassment on their campuses. UGC also asked all universities to set up special cells to deal with issues of gender-based violence and conduct gender sensitisation programmes. It suggested the institutes ensure a safe and healthy environment for women students and employees on their campuses as a necessary precondition to quality education and research.
Last year, a student of a city-based university lodged a complaint against a faculty member for sexual harassment. The university investigated the matter and suspended the faculty member.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Student suicides in universities are often a product of institutional violence. We must take a stand
Ganesh Gaigouria and Vidyasagar Sharma The suicide and death of a 19-year-old woman student in Odisha has brought back the debates around sexual harassment and gender oppression in Indian higher education institutes. This incident adds to a series of cases, where the silencing of women, Dalits, and other marginalised communities has become a practice in these spaces. The case of Rohith Vemula, the suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi, or the rape and murder of a medical student at R G Kar Medical College reveal the repeated failure of institutions to ensure a safe space within universities. Notably, the perpetrators of such violence are, in most cases, a person in authority, be it a faculty member or someone from the dominant caste group. Against this backdrop, we must talk about a space that promotes empathy and solidarity, necessary to live a dignified life. The growing number of student suicides and sexual harassment cases across campuses exposes the deep failure of existing redressal systems in public institutions. For instance, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) appears to be a largely symbolic and dysfunctional body, often prioritising institutional interests over those of the complainants. The SC/ST cells are no better, which are constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to safeguard the rights of SC/ST students in educational institutions. N Sukumar, in his book Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities highlighted how SC/ST cells lack autonomy, resources and accountability. Instead of being proactive and taking serious actions against perpetrators, they do nothing more than completing the bureaucratic formalities. The Odisha case illustrates such non-functionality of the ICC or any gender-based grievance redressal structures. We urgently need new institutional measures that reflect the intersectional realities of caste and gender. The demand for the Rohith Act, raised after Rohith Vemula's death, must be revisited with renewed urgency. This Act ensures legal accountability for institutions in cases of caste-based discrimination and suicide, including provisions for time-bound redressal, independent grievance committees, and legal protection for complainants. We also highlight here that the earlier GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment) system at JNU, which was participatory and student-inclusive, may be considered a model for creating effective redressal systems. Unlike ICC, which operates under administrative control and power hierarchies, GSCASH had autonomy and democratic representation. Beyond institutional measures, we need to reimagine educational spaces as grounded in emotional and ethical culture. Institutional measures alone cannot ensure inclusivity and justice unless we are willing to bring a radical shift in civic emotions and ethics. There needs to be a reframing of existing gender and caste sensitisation programmes within a radical perspective, which must go beyond the ritualistic 'ticking off the checkboxes'. Students from marginalised communities must be empowered to speak about their everyday suffering and trauma without the fear of retaliation. This can only happen in spaces that foster courage, solidarity, and radical empathy, not silence and alienation. The institutionalised silencing of marginalised students is embedded in the everyday socio-spatial architecture of caste, gender and systemic violence. Solidarity must become law, beyond mere expressions and feelings. Only then can we restore trust among students. Gaigouria is a Visiting Faculty at the National Law School of Indian University, Bengaluru. Sharma is a research scholar at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Bielefeld, Germany
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Income Tax Bill 2025: 285 changes, fewer sections, no more Assessment Yr
The long-awaited Income Tax Bill, 2025—a major legislative effort to replace the 63-year-old Income Tax Act, 1961—was officially tabled in the Lok Sabha today, accompanied by a detailed report from the 31-member Select Committee led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda. The report marks a crucial step in overhauling India's direct tax framework, aiming to simplify the law's language and structure without altering underlying policy. The Committee's 285 recommendations largely reflect stakeholder feedback focused on removing ambiguities, correcting drafting inconsistencies, and improving readability. In a much-anticipated move, the Committee has confirmed that companies opting for the concessional 22% corporate tax rate under Section 115BAA will continue to enjoy tax deduction benefits for inter-corporate dividends in multi-tier structures. This clarity averts potential cascading tax liabilities and aligns with current practices, addressing industry concerns over an apparent omission. "Key stakeholder recommendations that seem to have made their way through relate to correction in drafting errors, removal of ambiguities arising from languages changes to the extant Act, and coherent presentation of tax provisions In a major relief, the Committee has noted that the benefit of tax deduction relevant to inter corporate dividends in multi-tiered structures must also be extended to companies that elect the 22% tax rate (as is currently the case). While the market had expected this to be an oversight, corporates had begun factoring in the cascading impact of dividend taxes in tiered structure in the absence of any clarification. This is indeed a welcome change. On the other hand, several stakeholders had urged the Parliamentary Committee to reconsider the extent of search and seizure powers in relation to virtual digital space in light of safeguarding privacy and third-party rights, risk of overboard searches, etc.. However, at first blush, no key changes seem to have been recommended," said Gouri Puri, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. The new bill dramatically reduces the size and complexity of the current Income Tax Act. It cuts the number of effective sections from 819 to 536 and chapters from 47 to 23. The word count has been brought down to 2.6 lakh—almost half of the original 5.12 lakh words. Additionally, over 1,200 provisos and 900 explanations have been removed, and 57 tables have been introduced to streamline TDS, exemptions, and other compliance-heavy provisions. One of the most user-centric changes is the replacement of the confusing 'previous year' and 'assessment year' concept with a unified 'tax year.' This aims to simplify compliance and align with how taxpayers intuitively track their income and obligations. While the Bill has welcomed changes that enhance clarity and reduce litigation, it has not recommended significant changes to contentious provisions surrounding search and seizure in the virtual digital space. This omission has raised eyebrows among privacy advocates and legal experts, who had called for tighter safeguards against overreach in digital enforcement. The Bill now awaits discussion during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, scheduled from July 21 to August 21, 2025.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Over 1.73 lakh ha forest land diverted for infra projects from 2014 to 2024: Govt
The highest diversion of forest land during this period was for mining and quarrying activities, which were allowed to use 40,096.17 hectares. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said that 1,73,984.3 hectares of forest land were approved for various non-forestry purposes between April 1, 2014, and March 31, 2024, under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, now amended and renamed as Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) Over 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land have been approved for diversion for non-forestry purposes across India from 2014 to 2024, with mining and hydropower projects emerging as the leading contributors, the environment ministry informed Parliament on Monday. These included a wide range of extractive activities that continue to remain one of the biggest drivers of forest clearance across mineral-rich regions, especially in central and eastern India. Hydropower and irrigation projects together accounted for the second-highest diversion, with 40,138.31 hectares of forest land approved for such purposes. These include large and small dams, canals, reservoirs and associated infrastructure. The information was provided in response to a question by Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat, who referred to the 2023 State of India's Environment Report by think tank Centre for Science and Environment. The report claimed that forest clearances for infrastructure and industrial projects increased by more than 150 per cent between 2014 and 2023. According to the government data, linear infrastructure projects such as road construction and power transmission lines were also among the top contributors. Forest land diverted for road development amounted to 30,605.69 hectares, while transmission lines used up 17,232.69 hectares. Defence projects involving security infrastructure and border-related development works accounted for 14,968.14 hectares of diverted forest land. The category listed as 'Others', which includes miscellaneous or unclassified uses not covered in standard categories, accounted for 9,669.85 hectares. Railway projects were sanctioned 7,998.65 hectares of forest land, making it another significant sector of diversion, particularly for expansion and electrification works. Projects involving the conversion of forest villages into revenue villages, a longstanding demand under the Forest Rights Act and other policies, used 3,250 hectares of land. Thermal power projects were approved on 2,644.02 hectares of forest land, while rehabilitation and resettlement schemes received clearance on 1,580.55 hectares. Projects related to drinking water supply, including pipeline networks and treatment plants, accounted for 1,282.21 hectares. Optical fibre cable laying, which generally involves underground or shallow surface work along road or railway alignments, led to the diversion of 437.63 hectares. Pipeline projects were approved on 543.57 hectares, while industry-related clearances, including those for industrial estates or standalone units, covered 405.82 hectares. Wind power installations accounted for 346.84 hectares, and village electrification initiatives used 551.13 hectares of forest land. Dispensaries and hospitals were allocated 113.31 hectares, and educational institutions, including schools and colleges, were constructed on 83.46 hectares of forest land. Substations took up 76.14 ha of forest land, solar power 1.57 ha, encroachments regularised under certain policies 9.63 ha, and communication posts 6.54 ha. A marginal amount of land (0.11 ha) was approved for rainwater harvesting structures, and 0.59 hectares was used for telecommunication lines. The minister said the process of forest land diversion is continuous and permitted only in 'unavoidable circumstances' with adequate mitigation measures. PTI GVS RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
