India, March 28 -- Ragging complaints registered on the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s helpline increased to pre-pandemic levels after higher education institutions (HEIs) fully reopened in 2022, a Parliamentary standing committee report has said. The complaints increased between 2016 and 2019 before dipping as the Covid-19 pandemic forced closures of HEIs in 2020 and 2021.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, in its report on demands for grants 2025-26 of the higher education department, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday called student well-being at HEIs "crucial for academic success, mental health, and overall personal development."

The report said 1,070 ragging complaints were re...