Kumar Bahukhandi
Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Rajwade and Higher Education Minister Tank Ram Verma address participants as the Post Graduate Diploma in Protection of Child Rights (RAKSHAK) begins simultaneously at six universities in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Photo:channel24india.com via CG/DPR
PG Diploma initiative aims to create trained and sensitive human resources for protection and promotion of child rights; Ministers Laxmi Rajwade and Tank Ram Verma extend wishes to students
Key Highlights
- Post Graduate Diploma in Protection of Child Rights (RAKSHAK) launched simultaneously at six universities
- Initiative undertaken by Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights
- Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade and Higher Education Minister Tank Ram Verma address the programme
- Commission Chairperson Dr Varnika Sharma joins the inaugural interaction
- Course aims to develop trained and sensitive professionals in the field of child rights
- Students interact with experts and raise questions concerning child protection and rights
Raipur: Chhattisgarh has taken a significant academic initiative towards strengthening the protection and promotion of children’s rights, with classes for the Post Graduate Diploma in Protection of Child Rights (RAKSHAK) beginning simultaneously at six universities across the State on Thursday, October 1.
The programme has been initiated by the Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights with the objective of taking the understanding of child rights beyond awareness campaigns and developing trained, informed and sensitive human resources capable of working in the field.
The launch brought together the Vice-Chancellors and officials of all six participating universities through an online meeting. Commission Chairperson Dr Varnika Sharma also participated in the programme.
Higher Education Minister Tank Ram Verma joined the meeting virtually and congratulated the universities on beginning the programme. He underlined the importance of strengthening awareness and institutional capacity for the protection and promotion of children’s rights.
Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Rajwade extended her wishes to the participating universities, students and institutions.
She said the initiative was important for protecting children’s rights, ensuring a safer future for them and increasing awareness within society.
Participants join the online inaugural programme of the RAKSHAK course, while an interaction is held at Anjaneya University as part of the simultaneous launch across six Chhattisgarh universities on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Photo: channel24india.com via CG/DPR
The Vice-Chancellors of the participating universities expressed their commitment to working collectively for the protection and promotion of child rights and towards creating a safer environment for children.
The inaugural programme was also made interactive, with students raising questions concerning different aspects of child rights. The Chairperson and Secretary of the Commission responded to their queries and shared information related to the subject.
From Awareness to Trained Human Resources
The RAKSHAK programme has been designed not merely to spread awareness but to help create a pool of people with a structured understanding of children’s rights and the mechanisms available for their protection.
This assumes particular importance because child protection involves several interconnected areas, including education, health, safety, legal safeguards, institutional responsibilities and awareness among families and communities.
By introducing the subject through a postgraduate diploma programme, the initiative seeks to strengthen the academic and professional understanding of child rights while encouraging more effective institutional engagement with issues affecting children.
The programme is expected to help students understand child-rights concerns with greater sensitivity while developing human resources capable of contributing to child protection and advocacy.
Six Universities Join the Initiative
Classes under the RAKSHAK programme have commenced at Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, Kushabhau Thakre University, Sant Gahira Guru University, Amity University, Anjaneya University and Shankaracharya University.
Bringing six universities onto a common academic platform also gives the programme a wider reach across Chhattisgarh.
The initiative seeks to create an academic foundation for a subject that ultimately concerns one of society’s most important responsibilities — ensuring that children understand their rights and that institutions and communities possess the knowledge and sensitivity required to protect them.
With universities, the State Child Rights Commission, students and government departments participating in the initiative, RAKSHAK seeks to move child-rights protection from awareness alone towards education, professional capacity and informed intervention.
