HRD Ministry calls meeting of V-Cs on ways to end discrimination

New Delhi, February 7

In the backdrop of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula suicide case, the HRD ministry has convened a meeting of Vice-Chancellors of all central universities on February 18 to discuss ways to end discrimination against disadvantaged sections.

The ministry has decided to call all V-Cs and heads of 46 central universities to Delhi for the meeting days ahead of the Budget session of Parliament where the opposition is likely to vociferously raise the issue to corner the government.

Opposition parties have repeatedly raised questions over the role of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and also attacked HRD Minister Smriti Irani over the incidents related to Vemula's suicide.

Earlier, after the massive outrage over the Vemula suicide incident at Hyderabad central university, the HRD ministry had said a programme will be launched for sensitising academic administrators about understanding and handling problems faced by socially, educationally and economically disadvantaged students.

The ministry had also said all V-Cs and senior administrators would be sensitised to reach out to such students.

The HRD ministry has also announced that all wardens, administrative staff and registrars would be compulsorily put through an orientation programme for which a special module will be prepared.

It had also declared that a special mechanism would be set up at the Ministry for receiving and taking expeditious action on the grievances from students belonging to disadvantaged sections.

Dalit scholar Vemula had earlier committed suicide on January 17, this year triggering protests and outrage across India and and bringing the focus on the problems faced by students of SC/ST and other backwards communities in institutions of higher education. — PTI