The Centre has decided to extend its flagship scheme for women's safety, allocating Rs 1,179.72 crore until 2025-26. The Union Cabinet made this decision on Wednesday night, aiming to combat incidents of violence against women in the nation.
Based on the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were a total of 4,45,256 reported cases of crimes against women throughout India in 2022, translating to nearly 51 FIRs lodged every hour on average. This figure marks an increase from 2021, which saw 4,28,278 cases, and 2020, which recorded 3,71,503 cases.
A Union Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, greenlit the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) proposal for the continuation of the "Safety of Women" umbrella scheme. This approval encompasses a total funding of Rs 1,179.72 crore from 2021-22 to 2025-26, as per an official statement.
Out of the overall project cost, the MHA will allocate Rs 885.49 crore from its own budget, while Rs 294.23 crore will be sourced from the Nirbhaya Fund. The release emphasized that ensuring women's safety entails various factors, including the enforcement of strict laws, efficient delivery of justice, prompt resolution of complaints, and readily available support structures for victims.
Efforts to enhance deterrence against crimes targeting women have been bolstered through amendments in key legislations like the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act. Collaborating with states and Union territories, the Centre has initiated various projects aimed at ensuring women's safety.
These projects aim to strengthen state mechanisms for prompt intervention and investigation in cases of crimes against women, as well as to enhance efficiency in crime prevention and investigation in such instances. The Centre has proposed the continuation of several projects under the umbrella scheme for Safety of Women.
These initiatives include the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) 2.0, the modernization of central forensic sciences laboratories including the establishment of the National Forensic Data Centre, and the enhancement of DNA analysis and cyber-forensic capabilities in state forensic sciences laboratories (FSLs).