Govt mulls emergency alert device that is affordable

Efforts will also be made to add at least 30-minute video recording facility in the device, which may cost around Rs 500-700.

"This is at conceptual stage at the moment. We are going to freeze the concept in next four weeks and then with C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) and some others, we want to develop a device which can be worn on the wrist. In six months time we should be able to develop something," Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told PTI.

He said the device is not necessarily for women but anyone in distress can use it.

"There are lot of incidents of aged people being attacked. Old people who live alone, there have been instance of attack. Any body in distress can use such a device," Sibal said.

He said the device will react to voice command and trigger off many processes immediately like tracking location of person in problem and send alerts to phone numbers fed in the system.

"It is hopefully a kind of wrist watch which will react to voice. So if somebody says 'help me' it will trigger off many things. It will start GPS system working, people whose number are in the system will be informed of whats happening, where you are...Trigger off phone calls. It could also start videography so that it records of what is happening," he said.

When asked about the expected cost of such a device, Sibal said it has to be affordable otherwise there is no purpose of such effort. MORE