Bhubaneswar: The higher education department has asked colleges to identify and nominate distinguished women professionals as ‘Shakti Apa’ under the Shaktishree Initiative, aimed at strengthening the safety, empowerment and overall well-being of girl students in higher educational institutions (HEIs).Under the initiative, each district will nominate five Shakti Apas, though the number can be increased to 10 by the district collector depending on the size and geographical spread of the district. The move is aimed at ensuring wider coverage and more effective mentoring of students.In a letter to the colleges, the higher education department commissioner-cum-secretary Aravind Agrawal directed the principals and nodal officers of district-level degree nodal colleges to take immediate steps to identify, finalise and nominate suitable women professionals.The Shakti Apas will serve as role models, mentors and resource persons for girl students. They will periodically visit higher educational institutions, interact with students and offer guidance on issues ranging from personal safety and legal rights to cyber security, health and overall well-being. Each Shakti Apa will visit her designated HEI once every three months for interaction and mentoring.The initiative is also intended to strengthen the Shaktishree Empowerment Cells functioning in higher educational institutions. The women professionals will act as external facilitators, helping institutions address gaps related to women’s safety, awareness and empowerment.The department has prescribed a minimum of 15 years of professional experience for those being considered for the role. It has suggested professionals from a range of fields, including women social workers working in women’s safety and child protection, retired female govt employees, particularly those from the police and armed forces, and legal and cybersecurity experts with experience in legal rights, cyber safety and digital awareness.Public health experts and psychological counsellors specialising in women’s health and psycho-social counselling can also be considered. The department has also included educational experts such as university student welfare committee coordinators, principals, senior academicians and reputed educationists. The exercise is being undertaken to expedite the rollout of the Shaktishree initiative across the state, Agarwal said.However, eight districts of Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Khurda, Keonjhar and Rayagada have been kept out of the current exercise as nominations of Shakti Apas from these districts have already been received. The state govt announced the initiative last year.
