Keralam to launch anonymous anti-ragging app; announces 300 science-centres

Keralam will set up 300 centres to promote scientific temper among 15 lakh young people and launch a mobile app enabling students to anonymously report ragging and other campus-related issues, the state government said on Tuesday.

The two initiatives, aimed at strengthening scientific awareness and student welfare in higher education institutions, will be launched by Chief Minister V D Satheesan at Government Women's College here on Wednesday. The CM will inaugurate the first sub-centre of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Scientific Temper at a function scheduled for 11.30 am, according to an official statement.

Higher Education Minister Roji M John will preside over the event, which will also be attended by Transport Minister C P John. The science awareness initiative, spearheaded by the Kerala State Higher Education Council, seeks to promote scientific temper, humanism and inquiry-based thinking among students and the wider public, Roji M John said.

It aims to reach 15 lakh young people through 300 centres across the state. The programme will also include online courses on scientific temper, handbooks and video reels. An online course developed in association with C-DIT will be formally launched as part of the initiative, he said.

The Siddharth Student Welfare App is designed to provide students with a confidential platform to report ragging and other problems on campuses and seek assistance without revealing their identity. It will allow users to record audio complaints anonymously and alert the authorities concerned about safety-related issues, he said.

The app is named after J S Sidharthan, a 20-year-old veterinary student from Nedumangad, who allegedly died by suicide in February 2024 after being subjected to ragging by fellow students at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode in Wayanad.

A draft of the Siddharth Anti-Ragging Act is also under the government's consideration to provide a legal framework for the initiative and facilitate the formation of a state anti-ragging commission, the minister said. The government will also release the Student Aspiration Survey, aimed at understanding the expectations and aspirations of students in the higher education sector.

The higher education minister said the initiatives were part of the government's efforts to promote scientific thinking, improve student welfare and make higher education institutions more student-friendly and progressive.