According to an official, the University Grants Commission (UGC) will now monitor and resolve all grievances of students and staff in universities through a centralised portal called ‘e-Samadhan,’ which will be operational next week.
“The resolution of institutional entity grievances has always been a top priority of the commission and in a step towards that, the UGC has come up with the e Samadhan-Online Grievance Registering and Monitoring System which is a digital platform for stakeholders to identify and apply for grievances, feedback or queries,” the official said.
E-Samadhan
According to the UGC, this platform ensures transparency, prevents unfair practises in Higher Education Institutions, and provides a time-bound mechanism for grievance redressal.
The commission merged its existing portals and helplines, with the exception of the anti-ragging helpline, and created the new portal, according to an official statement.
“UGC e-samadhan, a step forward for the service to stakeholders which would be a single Window system for all the stakeholders for registering their complaints/ grievances on the portal which would be available all the time at the click of a mouse. A toll free No. 1800-111-656 will also be available on UGC website 24×7 for lodging complaints by the stake holders on any issue faced by them” it further said.
The official told that the user would be able to register a grievance by following a simple procedure with the help of a mail ID or making a phone call on toll-free number. “The complaint gets recorded and a docket number shall be allotted which would be automatically reflected in the concerned bureau head’s accounts. The concerned bureau shall resolve the issues within the stipulated time,” it added.
For effective implementation, the concerned Bureau Head will review the complaints on a daily basis while the secretary or the chairman will do it weekly.
“Students can file various complaints through a single platform. It will be easier to track the progress of the complaints due to proper documentation and docket numbers. It would help to identify the institutions which are not responding to the grievances to take stringent measures by the Commission,” the UGC official informed.
Previously, UGC provided a variety of mechanisms. Due to the lack of a centralised system, stakeholders were registering multiple complaints/complaints in multiple locations. As a result, the redressal mechanism was moving at a snail’s pace, causing additional concern among stakeholders.
The University Grants Commission has a diverse stakeholder base that includes 1043 universities, 42343 colleges, 3.85 million students, and 15.03 shortage teachers.
