DCI directs Dental Colleges to implement regulations to curb ragging

New Delhi : Reiterating its "zero tolerance" for ragging, the Dental Council of India has once again written to the Heads of the Dental Colleges in the Country to implement the measures for curbing the menace of ragging in the educational institutes.

With this direction, DCI Deputy Secretary has reminded in the letter, "As per section 11.3 of the aforesaid regulations, the authorities/Management (Trust, Societies, etc.) of the institution, particularly the Head of the institution, shall be responsible to ensure that no incident of ragging takes place in the institution."

Therefore, "it is the responsibility of all the institution to ensure that no incident of ragging takes place in their dental institution and measures taken to curb it may be reviewed," mentioned the DCI letter dated 25.04.2022.

In the letter, DCI has referred to the following measures that the dental institutes need to implement for curbing the practice of ragging-

• In case any incident of ragging takes place, the Management/Head shall take prompt and appropriate action against the person(s) whose dereliction of duty lead to the incident. The authority designated to appoint the Head shall, in its turn, take prompt and appropriate action against the head.
• All dental institutions should issue advertisements against ragging through signboards, pamphlets 2 of 4 etc. before the commencement of academic year as well as during the midst of the session. You are also requested to issue booklets to all the students of your Institutions containing the details about what constitutes ragging, punishable ingredients of ragging, punishments and penalty for ragging, names and mobile numbers of the members of the Anti Ragging Squad, Anti Ragging Committee (Anti Ragging Helpline), Wardens, Deputy Wardens of Men's and Women's hostel.
• All dental Institutions shall designate any of their faculty member(s) as "Counsellor" for fresher and senior students to co-ordinate the batches of students (Counselees) regularly about day-to-day problems and also to sensitize their role in curbing the menace of ragging.
• You are further requested to obtain and file undertaking, on anti ragging, from all parents/guardians and students (1st year to final year) studying in BDS/MDS/PG Diploma/Para Dental Courses or any other course approved/recognised by DCI, online through www.antiragging.in / www.amanmovement.org.
• Besides above, it is also pertinent to mention here that, as per section 12.2 of subject regulations, each and every institution shall submit its reports in prescribed format (Annexure-II) to the Secretary, Dental Council of India, Aiwan-E-Galib Marg, Kotla Road, New Delhi-110002, by 30th April of every year in respect of the previous academic session, indicating the requisite information against each column thereof, failing which the Dental Council of India, as per section 11.4 of Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Dental Colleges, 2009, shall impose any one or any combination of the following penalties on it:-

1. To initiate the derecognition process against the institution under section 16A of the Dentists Act, 1948.
2. To reduce the ad`mission capacity of the institution to the extent to which the Council deem fit.
3. To stop further admission in the institution till further orders.
4. To stop renewal of permission in respect of UG/PG Dental Courses.
5. To post the information regarding penalties so imposed on the concerned institution on the website of DCI for information of all concerned.

• Further, it is also to inform that the DCI has developed an online module to upload the requisite information / documents on DCI website to reduce the paper work and to scrutiny the above data efficiently,accordingly, the Executive Committee of the DCI in its meeting held on 13.10.2018 at New Delhi has decided that the all the requisite information / documents required as per DCI Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Dental Colleges, 2009, shall be uploaded on DCI website and any hard copy of information /documents received by Post or sent by E-mail shall not be considered by DCI

"In view of the above, I am directed to request you that the requisite information in the prescribed format (Annexure-II as prescribed in DCI Regulations) for the previous academic session 2021-2022 may kindly be uploaded on DCI website by 30.04.2022, positively, as the said information is required to be uploaded as per request of the Monitoring Committee appointed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. In case the information is not uploaded by 30.04.2022 on DCI website, the name of defaulting institution will be forwarded to the said Monitoring Committee for such appropriate action as may be deemed fit and proper by the said Hon'ble Monitoring Committee, and their names will also be uploaded on DCI Website," directed the apex regulator of dental education in India.

Further directing the colleges to treat the instructions mentioned in the letter as 'Most Urgent', DCI further reminded in the letter, "The Dental Council of India ensures Zero Tolerance against ragging of any sort."

Click here to view the DCI letter.

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