More Money Announced For Nirbhaya Fund Despite Concerns On Previous Allocations

Union government has announced another huge allocation for Nirbhaya Fund last week. This time it is Rs. 2,919 Crore. However, allegations have been levelled regarding non-utilization of this fund by various departments, so the question remains whether this new allocation would serve the real purpose or not?

It is noteworthy that the Centre on Thursday approved projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund in eight major cities of the country i.e. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad Ahmedabad and Lucknow, in a bid to make them safer for women.
 
The Nirbhaya fund was set up in the aftermath of gangrape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi in 2012 and was aimed at improving safety and security for women.

Experts are saying that safety and security of women could be improved provided this amount is used honestly. Retired DCP of the Delhi Police L.N.Rao told BW Police World that it should be utilized in latest technologies, such as video monitoring, facial recognition analytics and tracking of people. The national capital has been sanctioned Rs. 663.67 crore. Delhi will also get more police patrol vans equipped with GPS and the capability of sharing video feed.

Mumbai has been granted Rs 252 crore for projects, which include mapping of criminal hotspots, video surveillance as well as for strengthening the "Police Didi" programme which focuses on women police personnel interacting with women living in slums.

Kolkata will get Rs 181.32 crore for various schemes, including for strengthening nine women police stations. Bengaluru has been sanctioned projects worth Rs 667 crore, which include setting up women police outposts and creation of safety islands at vulnerable places. Sources from the U.P.Police told BW Police World  that a trial of panic button feature on mobile phones in the state will be launched shortly.

Experts are also of the opinion that the focus of all these endeavors must be on Safe City Project. Another major focus area should be Emergency Response System. One could also hope that the proposed lab will help lessen the gaps in DNA analysis in sexual assault cases pending in the country.

The fund, however, has seen a very lackadaisical utilization over the years. It is also important to note that the fund is a non-lapsable corpus.