Home ministry sanctions Rs 100 cr for women help desks in police stations

The Home Ministry has sanctioned Rs 100 crore from the Nirbhaya fund to set up women help desks in police stations across the country.

A home ministry statement said the women help desks would focus on making police stations more women-friendly and approachable, as they would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station.

The ministry has sanctioned a sum Rs 100 crore from the Nirbhaya fund for setting up and strengthening of the women help desks in police stations, the statement said.

The scheme would be implemented by the states and Union Territories, and lady police officers would be deployed at these help desks.

The officials of women help desks would be trained to be sensitive towards women. These help desks would have enlisted panel of experts like lawyers, psychologists and NGOs to facilitate legal aid, counselling, shelter, rehabilitation and training among others.

The move came a fortnight after a young veterinarian was gang-raped and murdered near Hyderabad, leading to protests in different parts of the country.