First One-Stop Crisis Centre under Nirbhaya fund to be launched in Chhattisgarh

The first One-Stop Crisis Centre for women in distress out of the proposed 660 is set to be inaugurated in Chhattisgarh later this month under the Nirbhaya Fund.

A Women and Child development ministry's initiative, the Centre would act as a one-stop facility to provide all kinds of aid to women in distress including medical help, counselling, legal and police assistance, while ensuring anonymity of the victim.

"We are ready to inaugurate our first Centre in Chhattisgarh this month," a senior Ministry official told PTI.

The scheme is being implemented on the recommendations of a committee that was set up in the aftermath of the public uproar against the December 16 gang-rape.

The Centre will be mandated to provide legal, medical and psychological assistance to distressed women. Proposed to be established in a phased manner, in the first phase, such facilities will be set up in every state, and will gradually be expanded to every district.

These centres would be set up in independent buildings or hospitals, depending on the state government's preference.

"There are many scenarios when women, who are stalked, molested, raped or experience violence are not willing to go to a police station. So the idea is to provide them all assistance at one place while maintaining their privacy," he said.

The One-Stop Crisis Centre is one of the major programmes under Nirbhaya Fund not much of which has been utilized so far. The fund was set up in 2013 to be spent on women-oriented projects and activities. However, even as Rs 3000 crore has accumulated under the fund, with Rs 1,000 crore allocated to it every financial year, not many projects have been executed through it.