Centre sanctions Rs 4,000 crore for women safety projects under Nirbhaya Fund

The Centre has sanctioned nearly Rs 4,000 crore for various women safety projects under the Nirbhaya Fund that include financial assistance to rape and acid attack victims and setting up of special police units for women and children.

According to a Home Ministry document, the highest Rs 2,919.55 crore has been sanctioned under the 'Safe City Project' being implemented in eight cities -- Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow -- to provide safety to women in public places.

A total of Rs 200 crore has been released for the Central Victim Compensation Fund. The key objectives of the project is to support the victims of rape, acid attacks, crime against children, human trafficking etc, it said.

All these projects are being implemented under the central government's 'Nirbhaya Fund', which was named after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim, a Home Ministry official said.

The ministry has sanctioned Rs 321.69 crore under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) to provide a pan-India single emergency response number -- 112.

The project has already been operationalised in 20 States and Union Territories, according to the document A total of Rs 23.53 crore has been sanctioned for setting up of the Special Unit for Women And Children (SPUWAC) and the Special Unit for North East Region (SPUNER) at Nanakpura in Delhi. Both the SPUWAC and the SPUWAC have already become operational, it said.

A state-of-the-art DNA laboratory is being set up at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh at a cost of Rs 99.76, while projects have been sanctioned for setting up or strengthening of the DNA facilities in Forensic Science Laboratories in 12 states at a cost of Rs 131.09 crore, as per the document.

The Home Ministry has also sanctioned Rs 7.09 crore for training of investigation, prosecution and medical officers and Rs 5.07 crore for providing facility of social workers and counsellors at the district and sub-divisional police station level in Delhi, it said. 

-PTI