Lok Sabha Question No. 398 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-21
Subject: Funds to One Stop Centre
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kirit Premjibhai Solanki

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 398

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2023

## FUNDS TO ONE STOP CENTRE

398.    DR. (PROF.) KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  funds  allocated  for  the  One  Stop  Centres  under  the  Nirbhaya Fund;
- (b) the number of One Stop Centres that have been established;
- (c) the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  strengthen  their  functioning  and reach out to more survivors of violence;
- (d) the funds allocated for the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme and its utilization to empower girls and promote gender equality;
- (e) the number of districts that have been covered under this scheme; and
- (f) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  gender-based  violence  and discrimination?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (c): The Ministry has been implementing the component of One Stop Centre (OSC) of  Mission Shakti under Nirbhaya Fund since 1 st  April, 2015 with aim to provide a range of integrated services under one roof to women affected by violence and in distress. These services include Police facilitation, medical aid, providing legal aid and legal counselling, psycho-social counselling and temporary shelter. So far, a total of 801 One Stop Centres have been approved in all 36 States/UTs, out of which 733 OSCs are functional. Since its launch, a total of Rs.798.81 crore has been allocated/ released  to  States  /  Union  Territories  /  Districts  for  implementation  of  the  scheme under Nirbhaya Fund.

The Government, from time to time, conducts capacity building programme for the functionaries  of  OSCs  through  various  institutions  like  National  Institute  of  Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) etc. Recently, the Government has engaged  the  services  of  National  Institute  of  Mental  Health  and  Neuro  Sciences (NIMHANS) for providing basic and advanced training under the project named 'Stree Manoraksha' to the staff of One Stop Centres (OSCs) across the country on handling psycho-social and mental health care needs of women facing violence and in distress.

(d) to (f): The Ministry also implements the component of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) since 2015 with an aim to address declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle continuum. The objective of the scheme is to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination, to ensure survival and protection of the girl child and to ensure education and participation of the girl child.  The  key  elements  of  the  scheme  include  nation-wide  media  and  advocacy campaign  and  multi-sectoral  intervention  in  selected  districts.  So  far,  a  total  of Rs.1158.00  crore  has  been  released  to  States  /  Union  Territories  /  Districts  for implementation of the  scheme,  out  of  which  a  total  of  Rs.  831.56  crore  has  been reported as utilised. All districts of the country have been covered under BBBP during the FY 2022-23.

'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the Constitution of India. The responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens including investigation and prosecution of crime against women and  children  rests  primarily  with  the  respective  State  Governments.  The  State Governments are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

The Constitution of India guarantees the right to equality and also provides for positive interventions by the State to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to  ensure  their  holistic  empowerment.  Keeping  in  mind  the  vision  articulated  in Constitutional provisions, there has been enactment of various legislations such as the  Indian  Penal  Code,  1860,  the  Dowry  Prohibition  Act,  1961,  the  Protection  of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006  which  addresses  the  issue  of  gender  inequality,  discrimination  and  violence faced by women.

In  addition,  Government  of  India  has  introduced  various  schemes  and  projects including  One  Stop  Centres  (OSCs), Women Helplines (WHL) running on toll free telephonic  short  code  181,  Beti  Bachao  Beti  Padhao  (BBBP),  Swadhar  Grehs  for women facing difficult  circumstances or  destitution,  Emergency  Response  Support System (ERSS) which is a pan-India single number (112)/ mobile app based system for  emergency  response,  safe  city  projects  in  8  cities  (Ahmedabad,  Bengaluru, Chennai,  Delhi,  Hyderabad,  Kolkata,  Lucknow  and  Mumbai),  training  and  skill development programs for Investigation Officers, Prosecution Officers and Medical Officers,  distribution  of  Sexual  Assault  Evidence  Collection  (SAEC)  Kits  to  States/ UTs; establishment of State of Art DNA Laboratory at CFSL, Chandigarh; assistance to States / UTs to strengthen Forensic Science Laboratories; setting up of 1023 Fast Track  Special  Courts  (FTSCs)  including  exclusive  POCSO  (e-POCSO)  Courts  for speedy disposal of cases of rape and cases under POCSO Act; cyber-crime reporting portal; setting up/ strengthening of Anti Hunam Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all districts of the country; setting up / strengthening of Women Help Desks (WHDs) at Police Stations etc to ensure safety of women and girls across the country. The Government has also put in place Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences, an online analytic  tool  for  tracking  and  monitoring  of  investigation.  A  National  Database  of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) has also been created.

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