Lok Sabha Question No. 2379 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-08
Subject: Caste Discrimination in Higher Education Institutions
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2379 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8.7.2019

## Caste Discrimination in Higher Education Institutions

## 2379.   SHRIMATI KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether rampant caste based discrimination took place in the higher education institutions in the recent past;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken on this issue; and
- (c) whether the Government has constituted committees or cells specifically and meant to look into complaints of discrimination against Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe students and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER Minister of Human Resource Development (Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank')

- (a) & (b): Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)/Universities are autonomous bodies which are governed by their own Acts and the Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations. The Acts of the respective Universities stipulate that the University shall not discriminate on grounds of caste, religion, etc. The Universities are competent to take all administrative decisions including to prevent  all  kinds  of  harassment  and  discrimination  against  any  section  of  students. Total Number of cases reported by University Grants Commission (UGC) in various University/Colleges  on  Caste  Based  Discrimination  during  the  year  2017-18  for  Scheduled Castes  and  Scheduled  Tribes  students  are  66  and  6  respectively.  Cases  are  handled  and disposed off by the concerned Universities and Colleges, as empowered under their respective Acts.  All  India  Council for Technical  Education (AICTE)  reported that no  such  complaints have been received by them from AICTE approved Institutions
- (c) The Central Government as well as UGC have issued several instructions from time to time to all State Governments  and  Centrally  Funded Education Institutions to curb discrimination of  any  kind in  HEIs. Recently,  UGC on  26 th June, 2019  has  advised  all the Vice-Chancellor of all Universities to constitute a committee to look into the discrimination complaints received from the SC/ST/OBC Students/Teachers and non-teaching staff.

Major initiatives undertaken in this regard are:-

- (i) In  order  to  check  discrimination  and  harassment  of  any  section  of  students  and  to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism, the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2012.
- (ii) University  Grants  Commission  (Grievance  Redressal)  Regulations,  2012  has  been formulated. These Regulations intend to give effect in letter and spirit to the provisions of the Constitution and other  statutory  provisions  and  policies  for prevention of  discrimination on the grounds of caste and to safeguards the interests of the students belonging to the Scheduled Castes  and  Scheduled  Tribes.  The  Regulations  also  seek  to  provide  for  advancement  of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students through setting up of Equal Opportunity Cells in each Higher Educational Institution.
- (iii) In order to make the universities/colleges more responsive to the needs and constraints of  the  disadvantaged  social  groups,  the  UGC  is  giving  financial  assistance  to  all  eligible Colleges/Universities to establish Equal Opportunity Centres. The aim  and objective of this Scheme  is to oversee the effective implementation  of policies and  programmes  for disadvantaged  groups,  to  provide  guidance  and  counselling  with  respect  to  academic, financial, social and other matters and to enhance the diversity within the campus.
- (iv) UGC has also approved establishment of SC/ST Cells in various Universities with a view to safeguard the interests of SC/ST students.
- (v) Other initiatives include provision of Anti Discriminatory faculty advisors for SC/ST students  who  look  into  their  problems  and  advise  accordingly,  appointment  of  Student Counsellors  to  address  personal,  academic,  psychological  and  family  related  problems, providing  sports  and  extra  curricular  activities,  setting  up  counselling  centres,  provision  of anxiety helpline, and setting up disciplinary action committee to take urgent action in case of any complaints of reported ragging, discrimination based on caste, creed, religion and gender etc.

AICTE has also framed strict norms to prohibit such incidents in technical institutions, which are as under:-

- (i) For protection against harassment and discrimination of Scheduled Castes in AICTE Approved  Institutions,  it  is  essential  for  all  AICTE  approved  institutions  to  Establish Committee for SC/ ST (As per the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, No. 33 of 1989, dated 11.09.1989).
- (ii) As per AICTE norms each (AICTE approved) Institution shall upload the number of complaints  and  grievances  received  and  action  taken  on  their  Web  site  and  update  AICTB through the monthly online status report.
- (iii) In case of receipt of any complaint(s) about an Institution, the same shall be processed by Public Grievance Redressal Cell (PGRC) of AICTE established to dispose of the complaint cases.
- (iv) AICTE  takes  action  against  such  institutions  (AICTE  Approved)  for  violation  of AICTE norms as mentioned in Chapter VII of the Approval Process Handbook (APH) of year concerned and punishes them as appropriate.

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## स . 4-2/2019एससी / एसटȣ

( एससी / एसटȣ अनुभाग ) *****

ͪवषय :-माननीय संसद सदèय ĮीमǓत कǓनमोझी कǽणाǓनͬध के ɮवारा पूछे जाने वाले ' mPprj 'kS{kf.kd laLFkkuksa esa tkfrxr  HksnHkko ' के बारे मɅ 8.7.2019 के ͧलए लोकसभा अतारांͩकत Ĥæन संÉया 2379.

एससी / एसटȣ अनुभाग को माननीय संसद सदèय ĮीमǓत कǓनमोझी कǽणाǓनͬध के ɮवारा पूछे जाने वाले ' mPprj 'kS{kf.kd laLFkkuksa esa tkfrxr HksnHkko ' के बारे मɅ 8.7.2019 के ͧलए लोकसभा अतारांͩकत Ĥæन संÉया 2379 ĤाÜत हु आ है। Ĥæन का पाठ Ǔनàनानुसार Ĥèतुत ͩकया गया है : -

¼d½ D;k gky esa mPprj 'kS{kf.kd laLFkkuksa esa tkfrxr HksnHkko vfu;af=r gks x;k gS(

¼[k½ ;fn gka] rks rRlaca/kh C;kSjk D;k gS vkSj bl ekeys esa D;k dkjZokbZ dh xbZ gS( vkSj

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2. इस संबंध मɅ , एससी / एसटȣ अनुभाग ने काया[लय £ापन Ǒदनांक 1.7.2019(P3 /C) , 3.7.2019(P4 /C) और 4.7.2019(P27 /C) के ɮवारा पैरा -वार सूचना Ĥदान करने के ͧलए उÍच ͧश¢ा ͪवभाग के Þयूरो Ĥमुखɉ , ͪवæवͪवɮयालय अनुदान आयोग ( यूजीसी ) और अͨखल भारतीय तकनीकȧ ͧश¢ा पǐरषद ( एआईसीटȣई ) से अनुरोध ͩकया था और और यह कहना है ͩक एआईसीटȣई (P-17/C), यूजीसी (P-20/C) से सूचना के अलावा ͩकसी भी Þयूरो से अपेͯ¢त सूचना ĤाÜत नहȣं हु आ है। छाğवृि×त Ĥभाग (P8 /C) और TSIV/VIIA अनुभाग (P9 /C) से NIL सूचना ĤाÜत हु आ है।
3. यह उãलेख ͩकया गया है ͩक , इसी Ĥकार के Ĥæन का उ×तर लोक सभा अतारांͩकत Ĥæन संÉया 2540 के ͧलए 14.3.2016 (P10 /C), लोकसभा Ĥæन अतारांͩकत Ĥæन संÉया 845 के ͧलए 21.11.2016(P12 /C) और राÏयसभा अतारांͩकत Ĥæन संÉया 2168 के ͧलए 3.8.2017(P15 /C) esa पहले भी Ǒदए गए। पहले Ǒदए गए उ×तरɉ और ĤाÜत सूचनाओं के आधार पर उ×तर देन का Ĥयास ͩकया गया है। माननीय मानव संसाधन ͪवकास मंğी के और अनुमोदन के ͧलए Ĥèतुत।

## सहायक Ǔनदेशक ( एससी / एसटȣ )

## अवर ( एससी / एसटȣ )

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