DCW Chief Swati Maliwal Urges Smriti Irani to Disburse ‘Nirbhaya’ Fund to States

The Union Home Ministry on December 5 sanctioned Rs 100 crores from 'Nirbhaya' Fund for setting up women help desks at police stations across the country.

New Delhi: Four days after the Union Home Ministry sanctioned Rs 100 crores from the ‘Nirbhaya’ Fund for setting up women help desks at police stations across the country, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Monday wrote to Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani seeking disbursement of Nirbhaya fund to all the states of the country.

The development comes after a government data showed that of the Rs 2264 crores allocated to states and UTs for the safety and security of women, around 89 per cent of the fund was not used for the purpose. As per the official data, of the Rs 1,672 crore allocated by the ministry for the states and UTs, only Rs 147 crore has been used so far.

As per the report from the government, not a single state has even utilised 50 per cent of the fund in their respective places. Only Mizoram and Uttarakhand have used 50 per cent of the fund, while Chattisgarh has spent only 43 per cent, Nagaland 39 per cent, and Haryana only 32 per cent.

As per the data, 18 states and UTs have spent less than 15 per cent of the fund for the purpose. The shocking part is Delhi, where most crimes happen, has spent only 5 per cent of the fund for security of women.

The state which did not spend a single penny include Maharashtra (Sanctioned: Rs 14940 Lakh), Manipur (Sanctioned: Rs 878 Lakh), Meghalaya (Rs 675 Lakh), Tripura (Sanctioned: Rs 766 lakh), Daman and Diu (Sanctioned: Rs 420 Lakh).

On December 5, the Home Ministry sanctioned Rs 100 crores from the ‘Nirbhaya’ Fund for setting up and strengthening of women help desks at police stations across the country.

Female police officers, after undergoing training, would be deployed at these help desks to take care of women in the need.

Experts such as lawyers, psychologists and NGO leaders will be included in the panel to facilitate legal aid, counseling, shelter, rehabilitation, and training.

The move from the Centre comes after a spate of incidents of rape and murder involving women have surfaced from across the country in the past one month.

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Story Timeline

• 05 Dec 2019 Centre Grants Rs 100 Crore From Nirbhaya Fund to Set up Women Help Desks in Police Stations
• 04 Dec 2019 91% of Nirbhaya Fund Unused: Telangana Spent 4%; Maharashtra, Manipur, Sikkim Didn't Spend a Penny

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