National ragging helpline to be launched

Faced with increasing incidents of ragging in campuses, the government is launching a round-the-clock helpline to assist students in lodging complaints about such incidents for prompt action.

A national call centre to enable victims of ragging from across the country to dial a toll free number to register complaints will be launched by Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on Saturday.

The helpline is expected to come to the rescue of students as it will pass on the message to the heads of the educational institutions within 15 minutes of the complaint being filed so as to help the administration to swing into action, the ministry said.

The idea of starting the helpline was mooted by Rajendra Kachroo, father of Aman Kachroo who died due to ragging in a medical college in Himachal Pradesh in March this year.

The helpline was earlier scheduled to start from June 15, but missed the deadline as the facility was not ready.

Education Consultancy India was entrusted with the task of setting up of the call centre while the University Grants Commission is supposed to monitor the helpline.