Lok Sabha Question No. 3519 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions
Ministry: Education
Asked by: K. Shanmuga Sundaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3519 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

## Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions

3519. SHRI SHANMUGA SUNDARAM K.:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  data  of  the  complaints  received  by  the University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding ragging in higher educational institutions and if so, the details of the complaints received during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise;
- (b) whether  the  UGC  has  framed  any  guidelines  defining  ragging  and  if  so,  the details thereof along with the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government for implementation of these guidelines;
- (c) the  action  taken  by  the  Government  or  UGC  against  the  erring  persons  or institutions;
- (d) whether the UGC has proposed severe punishment in its directions/guidelines to various higher educational institutions; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a): As per the data available with University Grants Commission (UGC), the statewise details of the complaints received in the last three years and the current year are at Annexure-I .
- (b): UGC has notified the UGC Anti Ragging Regulations on curbing the menace of ragging in higher educational institutions, 2009, which is available on UGC website at https://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/ragging/gazzetaug2010.pdf

The following measures have been undertaken to give effect to implementation of these regulations:-

-  UGC has made it mandatory for all institutions to incorporate in their prospectus the  directions  of  the  Government  regarding  prohibition  and  consequences  of ragging.
-  A nationwide toll free 24x7 anti ragging helpline 1800-180-5522 in 12 languages has been established which can be accessed by students in distress owing to ragging related incidents.
-  An Anti-Ragging website i.e. www.antiragging.in has been developed. The portal contains  record  of  registered  complaints  received  and  the  status  of  the  action taken thereon.
-  UGC has constituted Coordination Committee and Inter Council Committee for effective measures of anti-ragging in Higher Educational institutions.
-  UGC has notified UGC (Promotion of equity), Regulations, 2012 to safeguard the interests of students  without  any  prejudice  to  their  caste,  creed,  religion, language, ethnicity, gender & disability.
-  UGC  issues  advisories  from  time  to  time  regarding  strict  compliance  of  UGC Regulations on curbing the menace of ragging in higher educational institutions for conducting regular interaction and counselling with the students to avoid the incidents of ragging.
-  The Higher Education institutions have been requested to organize debates etc. for ragging control.

(c): The  details  of  punishment  given  to  perpetrators  of  reported  cases  of  Ragging since 2018 are as under:-

| Year                   |   Suspension |   Fine |   Warning |   Rustication |   Total number punished |   Total complaints received |
|------------------------|--------------|--------|-----------|---------------|-------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 2018                   |          254 |     16 |       258 |             7 |                     535 |                        1016 |
| 2019                   |          246 |     18 |       235 |             5 |                     504 |                        1070 |
| 2020                   |           48 |      2 |        43 |             4 |                      97 |                         219 |
| 2021 (Till 10.12.2021) |           72 |      7 |        80 |             1 |                     160 |                         485 |
| Total                  |          620 |     43 |       616 |            17 |                    1296 |                        2790 |

(d) & (e): The provision of  punishment  in  cases  of  ragging  is  contained  in  Clause No.7 and 9 of the UGC Anti Ragging Regulations, 2009.

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