UGC portal to receive students' complaints

An UGC-run portal was launched here on Monday to facilitate online registration of students' grievances, send reminders and check action-taken status in connection with their concerns. 

A student can register complaints regarding admission process, reservation policy, discrimination on the basis of caste and even non-declaration of results through the portal — www.ugc.ac.in. 

Complaints regarding victimisation of students, sexual harassment cases, lack of amenities and non-payment of scholarships or fellowships can also be filed online, according to an HRD Ministry statement. 

The portal was launched by HRD minister Smriti Irani here. 

"The aim of the portal is to ensure transparency in admission and curbing unfair practices in higher education institutions and provide effective mechanism for redressal of the grievances," said the ministry. 

To make the mechanism effective, each university has appointed a dedicated nodal officer. The officers will be responsible for redressal of the grievances related to the affiliated colleges under the varsities concerned. 

Once a grievance is registered, the complainant concerned can see email ID, cell phone number and other contact details of respective nodal officer. 

Similarly, the officer too can see complainants' contact details and he/she can reach out to the students concerned for clarification, if needed, the statement said. 

On his part, the officer will have to ensure redressal of the grievance in a timely manner. If he/she fails to do so, automatic reminder will be sent to him/her every two weeks for closure of the grievance.