Rape victims from poor sections to get financial assistance

While the WCD Ministry had proposed a scheme in which all rape victims would be provided this assistance from April this year, the Planning Commission was of the view that not everyone may need or want to accept this assistance.

"There is a provision currently under the Prevention of Atrocities on SC/STs Act under which victims of this crime (sexual exploitation) are given Rs 1.20 lakh as support. The Ministry had proposed that women belonging to other categories should be given similar assistance. The Planning Commission has approved the scheme for providing this assistance to those victims who belong to economically weaker sections," WCD secretary Prem Narain said.

Narain said there was a view in the Planning Commission that every family may not accept this assistance as some of them may be well-off while others may not accept it for social reasons.

"It is now being planned that women who belong to families which are below poverty line (BPL) or who are destitute would get support," Narain added.

The WCD secretary said he expected that all the details, mechanisms and approvals for the scheme would be completed by the end of March and hoped that it would be operational at the start of the new financial year.