New Delhi: Even as crimes against women are being reported with increasingly frequency with each passing day, the Narendra Modi government is going very slow in implementing its plan to help victims of sexual assaults. In a recent order passed by the Prime Minister's Office, it has only approved the opening of 36 one-stop crisis centre as against 660 planned earlier.
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had proposed to open the centre in all the 660 districts but now there would be only one centre per state and union territory.
"The government has said yes to the opening of 36 centres and depending on its success, other centres would be opened," said an official from the Women and Child Development Ministry.
Even though the Centre has created a Nirbhaya fund, named after the December 16, 2012 gangrape-murder victim in Delhi, much of it was left unutilised. In the 2015-16 Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley earmarked another Rs 1000 crore to the Nirbhaya fund rising the total amount to Rs 2000 crore.
"The centres will be set up from the Nirbhaya fund and all the women helpline numbers will be connected to it," added the WCD official.
The ministry has not yet decided on the location where the centres would be set up but they are likely to be opened by August 2015, the official said.
Meanwhile, the women commissions have termed the government's move unfair and will appeal against it.
They also questioned that how can a rape survivor from the interiors of a state travel to the centre, which is most likely to be in the capital. They added that there should be a centre in every district.
Delhi Commission of Women Chairperson Barkha Singh said, "It was unfair on the part of the government to announce such a measure."
Backing her is All India Democratic Women's Association General Secretary Jagmati Sangwan who said, "It is an impractical and unfair move by the government. We will lodge our protest against it."
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