The 3rd District Level Monitoring Com mittee Meeting, chaired by Egna Cleetus, Collector & District Magistrate of South Goa, reviewed and endorsed several measures aimed at enhancing student welfare, mental health, aca demic support, and campus safety at BITS Pilani Goa Campus. Key officials present in cluded Tikam Singh Ver ma, Superintendent of Po lice (South Goa), Bhushan Sawaikar, Director of High er Education, and Suman Kundu, Dean of BITS Pilani. Officials from the Depart ments of Technical Educa tion, Social Welfare, Health Services, Tribal Welfare, and the Sub-Divisional Po lice Officer (SDPO), Vasco, also attended. Dean Suman Kundu pre sented a detailed report on initiatives undertaken to support student well-being, highlighting decisions taken by the campus to strength en mental health services, mentorship, and academic reforms. These include Mitr, a faculty-led hostel outreach programme encouraging open dialogue, and Sethu, a structured mentorship sys tem pairing each student with faculty mentors. Peer based support is further reinforced through Mental Health Buddies in collab oration with Rahat Trust, TAG, an anonymous student support group, and a Peer Mentorship Programme for freshers. The committee noted the expansion of profession al mental health services through the Mpower Cen tre, which now includes psychologists, therapists, and a psychiatrist, along with 24×7 medical services, dedicated helplines, COOJ counselling, and Myndwell assessments for early inter vention. Faculty members and wardens have also un dergone Mental Health First Aid and Gatekeeper training to provide timely support. Academic reforms ap proved include liberal eval uation practices, spaced examinations, curriculum restructuring, and the in troduction of BITS K101 – Physical Well-being and Creativity. Initiatives pro moting innovation, such as Challengathon and a 24×7 Innovation Lab, were also highlighted. Campus life enhance ments endorsed at the meeting include extended sports facilities, open gyms, shuttle services, upgraded hostels, expanded library hours, and strengthened campus safety measures, including CCTV coverage and X-ray screening. The meeting emphasised a holistic approach to stu dent welfare, ensuring that mental health, academ ic support, and physical well-being initiatives are integrated to provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students at BITS Pilani Goa Campus.
