At KISS-DU, various women’s access schemes are in place to ensure that female students, especially first-generation Indigenous women, have the necessary support to succeed in higher education. These schemes include mentoring, scholarships, and other provisions aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by women.

1. Scholarships: KISS-DU provides various scholarship opportunities to female students, including merit-based scholarships and need-based financial aid. These scholarships aim to reduce the financial burden of education and ensure that Indigenous women, particularly from the most marginalized and backward areas, have access to quality education.
   Impact: 1362 girl students – UG and PG students
   
   
2. Mentoring: KISS-DU offers a robust mentoring program that connects female students with faculty, alumni, and other relevant stakeholders. This mentorship helps women navigate academic challenges, build leadership skills, and receive guidance on career planning. Mentors also provide emotional and psychological support, helping students develop confidence and resilience in their academic and personal lives.
   1. Mahindra Pride Classroom: Mahindra Pride Classroom is the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Livelihood programme of the Mahindra and Mahindra group and is fully implemented by Naandi Foundation. The in-person training programme will impart the following skills designed to improve the employability of final-year female students of KISS DU. https://kiss.ac.in/mahindra-pride-
      classroom-mpc-programme/
      • Life Skills – compassion, respect, gratitude, being a responsible global citizen
      • Soft Skills – grooming, body language, teamwork, time management, social manners, etc.
      • Communication Skills – functional English & the ability to express clearly in the local language
      • Presentation Skills – speaking clearly, coherently and confidently.
      • Interview Skills – resume preparation, interview questions, mock interviews

      The programme was first introduced in 2022-23 for female postgraduate students from the Commerce, Arts and Science departments. Owing to successful completion, the program was also implemented again in the year 2023-24. https://university.kiss.ac.in/campus-life/tnpcell/

      
      In collaboration with the Naandi Foundation, KISS-DU hosted an intensive 18-day (40-hour) employability skills training programme for over 300 female postgraduate students from Arts, Science, and Commerce disciplines for the year 2024. The programme was delivered over several batches by expert trainers from Mahindra Pride Classrooms. The sessions covered essential workplace readiness skills including communication, professional conduct, teamwork, and digital competency.

      The cohort concluded with an award ceremony where top-performing students from each batch were recognized with prizes, medals, and trophies. Building on this success, KISS-DU is expanding the collaboration to include both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Future cohorts will benefit from new short-term skill development courses such as Digital Marketing, Tally, and GST, and Python Programming—offering practical skills that enhance employability and link students with job opportunities in diverse sectors. This is an ongoing programme at KISS DU and over 700 girls have been trained in the last 4 years.
      

      1. Program	Participants/Impact
         Mahindra Pride Classrooms	300+ women students
         Certified Skill Courses	180+ participants
         Self-Defense Training	300+ trainees
         Peer Mentoring & Leadership	100+ mentees
         Career Development Support	280+ students
         Counseling and Mental Wellness	220+ users
         Health and Reproductive Wellness Services	300+ beneficiaries
         Sanitary Napkin Manufacturing	12000+ Girls annually

         These access schemes are part of KISS-DU commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment for women, ensuring that they have equal opportunities to succeed and excel in higher education.

   2. Other provisions: KISS-DU also offers additional provisions to support women’s success. This includes safe, women-friendly campus facilities, career development programs, leadership training, and access to extracurricular activities that enhance personal and professional growth. The institution also provides resources such as academic tutoring, counselling, and workshops to address specific needs and challenges faced by females.
3. Programmes conducted:
   1. Kanya Kiran Programme is conducted every year in 30 districts of Odisha, with an aim to raise awareness and concern about the levels of sexual assault and harassment prevalent in Odisha and India. https://youtu.be/5OYxwgtfp8M
   2. Inclusive Cultural Leadership–An Intercultural Dialogue at KISS: https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/kalinga-conversations-5-inclusive-cultural-leadership-an-intercultural-dialogue-at-kiss/ KISS’s Project K-MUSE, in collaboration with KIIT School of Law, hosted the fifth edition of Kalinga Conversations under the theme “Inclusive Cultural Leadership–An Intercultural Dialogue.” The event was organized in association with the School of Tribal Legal Studies and Tribal Rights and the Centre for Indigenous Languages & Narratives, KISS-DU. This interdisciplinary forum emphasized the importance of cultural inclusivity and leadership, highlighting the relevance of living cultures and traditions in a global context.
      
   3. Distinguished Invited Lecture on the topic “Gender Dynamics and Society”: https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/kiss-du-inks-mou-with-amrita-vishwa-vidyapeetham/ The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar signed MoU with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Deemed to be University, Coimbatore on 26th July 2024. On the occasion, Professor K. R. Priya, Chair, Amritadarshanam delivered a Distinguished Invited Lecture on the topic “Gender Dynamics and Society”. During the course of her deliberation, she conducted activities revolving around gender roles and presented various perspectives.
      
   4. Centre for Women’s Studies: The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) inaugurated the Centre for Women’s Studies on 3rd September 2024, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and promoting research on women’s rights and leadership. The launch event was organized under the banner of Kalinga Conversations, an initiative by Project K-MUSE, KISS, dedicated to engaging with critical contemporary issues related to living cultures and traditions. It is an inspirational intervention by the founder of KIIT & KISS, Dr. Achyuta Samanta. https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/kiss-project-k-muse-launches-centre-for-womens-studies/
      
   5. International Conference on ‘Transformative Education, Gender Equality, Active Citizenship for Sustainable Development’ https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/kiss-du-organises-international-conference-on-transformative-education-gender-equality-active-citizenship-for-sustainable-development/  On 28 October 2023, KISS Deemed to be University hosted a one-day international conference titled “Transformative Education, Gender Equality and Active Citizenship for Sustainable Development”. The event was organised as part of the AURORA Project (co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union) and brought together scholars and practitioners from six countries—Spain, Romania, Czech Republic, Ireland, Nepal and India.  With a focus on inclusive education, gender parity and active citizenship, the conference explored how education can be re-oriented to empower learners as change-agents in a sustainable future.  This aligns directly with SDG 5 (Gender Equality) as well as SDG 4 (Quality Education) and institutional priorities around gender-responsive pedagogy and global citizenship.
   6. International Women’S Day 2023 celebration https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/kiss-du-celebrates-international-womens-day-2023/ : On 7th March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, The School of Tribal Legal Studies and Tribal Rights (TLS & TR) in collaboration with NSS Wing, AURORA Center (under the ERASMUS+ AURORA Project) and Internal Complaints Committee for prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women (ICC) had organisd a half day program #Embrace Equity with the UN theme: DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.The main purpose of the program was to raise awareness about the status and dignity of women among students and staffs respectively. KISS-DU has been relentlessly working on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and marching towards achieving the Agenda 2030. It lays emphasis on SDG – 5 (Gender Equality) with focus on girl child education hence it SDG – 4 (Quality Education) is also addressed.
   7. Awareness Talk on #Breaking the Cycle organized at KISS-DU https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/awareness-talk-on-breaking-the-cycle-organized-at-kiss-du/ : An awareness talk on “#Breaking the Cycle ” was jointly organized by Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar City Knowledge Innovation Cluster Foundation (BCKIS) Scientists Nua Maa (New Mother) on 8th April, 2023 to educate the girl students on women’s health. The event was graced with the presence of the invited guest speaker Dr. Sweta Raghavan, Founder of Scientists & Co and among others, Dr.Snigdharani Panda, Dean, School of Tribal Resource Management, KISS-DU.
      
   8. Students’ Seminar on World Population Day- 2023 https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/students-seminar-on-world-population-day-2023/ : A student seminar was organized by the Geography Program under the School of Tribal Resource Management on 11th July 2023 to observe World Population Day. According to the United Nations the theme was “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities”.  Faculty members, Research Scholars and Students of the school were present in the seminar.
      
   9. Poster Competition on International Women’s Day  https://university.kiss.ac.in/posts/poster-competition-on-international-womens-day/ : On International Women’s Day, the AURORA Club of KISS-DU had organized a poster competition on the theme “Empowered Women Empowered Nation” on 8th March 2023. The informative posters prepared by the students, reflected the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. They also highlighted the significance of observing this day. The winners of the poster competition were felicitated.
   10. Project Chirag: CHIRAG is a Global Research Translation award (GRTA) project, funded by UK Research Innovations (UKRI) on Sustainable Food Systems. Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is collaborating with University of East Anglia, UK, along with other Indian Partners PRADAN and Gram Vaani. In Odisha, the project is being implemented by KISS in Koraput and Kandhamal districts and in Jamui district of Bihar by PRADAN and Gramvaani. The project aims to build a proof of concept to address food & nutrition security along with gender equality in India, a problem faced by a vast majority of women and children especially from rural and indigenous communities. https://kiss.ac.in/project-chirag/