Lok Sabha Question No. 1317 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-06
Subject: Protection Services for Women Facing Domestic Violence
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 1317

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026

## PROTECTION SERVICES FOR WOMEN FACING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

## 1317.  DR. AMAR SINGH:

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

- (a)        whether the Government has examined the requirement for strengthening protection services including One Stop Centres, helplines, shelter support and counselling services for  women  facing  domestic  violence  and  harassment  in  Fatehgarh  Sahib  district  in Punjab;
- (b)      if  so,  the  details  of  Government  support  systems,  staffing  adequacy,  outreach processes/referral protocols reviewed for timely assistance in the said district;
- (c)       whether  the  Government  has  assessed  gaps  in  psycho-social  support,  counselling capacity, shelter support, legal assistance in the said district; and
- (d)       if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a)  to  (d):  The  Central  Government  gives  the  highest  priority  to  ensuring  the  safety  and security of women and has undertaken various interventions in this regard. During the 15th Finance Commission period, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  under  three  verticals,  viz.  (i)  Mission  Shakti  for  safety, protection  and  empowerment  of  women,  (ii)  Saksham  Anganwadi  &  Poshan  2.0  for improving  nutrition  and  health  indicators,  and  (iii)  Mission  Vatsalya  for  protection  and welfare of children in difficult circumstances.

Mission  Shakti  aims  at  strengthening  interventions  for  women's  safety,  security  and empowerment, and comprises two verticals. Sambal, for safety and security of women, and Samarthya,  for  women's  empowerment.  Under  the  Sambal  vertical,  the  One  Stop  Centre (OSC)  provides  integrated  support  and  assistance  under  one  roof  to  women  affected  by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces. It provides services like medical  aid,  legal  aid  and  advice,  temporary  shelter,  police  assistance  and  psycho-social counselling to needy women. The scheme is demand-driven.

As  per  the  Mission  Shakti  guidelines,  the  Central  Government  provides  100%  financial assistance to States and UTs under Sambal sub-scheme. Adequate staff and infrastructural support is provided for smooth operationalization of OSCs across the country. However, the implementation of the all schemes under Mission Shakti lies with the State Governments and UT Administrations.  Funds are released to the States/ UTs as per the procedure prescribed by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, including Single Nodal agency (SNA) or SNA SPARSH of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). Further, once in a year, the Programme Approval Board (PAB) monitors with States and UTs, the progress of activities  under the scheme and reviews status of achievement of objectives and effective delivery of services to women and children including rural and marginalized communities.   Apart  from  this,  officials  of  the  Ministry  continuously  review  the  scheme through meetings, video conferencing and by making field visits to States and UTs from time to time.

Based on the proposals received from the State of Punjab, 23 One Stop Centres (OSCs) have been approved. All of these, 23 OSCs are operational, including one OSC in Fatehgarh Sahib district. Since inception i.e. 1st April, 2015 up to 30th September, 2025, 25489 women have been assisted by the OSCs in the State of Punjab including those assisted in Fatehgarh Sahib district.

In order to strengthen transparency and accessibility in service delivery with respect to reliefs and  rehabilitation  to  women  in  distress,  the  Ministry  of  WCD  launched  Mission  Shakti Dashboard, on 22.01.2025 (https://missionshakti.wcd.gov.in/). The Mission Shakti Dashboard data is  now accessible via the  Mission  Shakti  Mobile  Application  with  multilingual feature thereby expanding outreach and convenience for users. These enhancements mark a significant step towards strengthening last-mile connectivity, improving ease of access and empowering women with digital tools for safety and support. A new feature has also been added whereby a woman in distress can now book an appointment with her nearest OSC through both the portal and the mobile application. The location of the nearest OSC can be easily  identified  through  the  mobile  application  ensuring  timely  support  and  access  to essential services.

Further, a publicly accessible list of Protection Officers (POs) under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA)  is now available on the dashboard.  As on 04.02.2026, The States and UTs have updated the details of over 2,432 POs.  In addition, the dashboard hosts updated lists of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and Nodal Officers of various schemes, including:- One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline (WHL), Shakti Sadan,  Sakhi  Niwas  etc.  The  portal  also  consolidates  all  major  helplines  for  easy  public access:  Women  Helpline  (181),  NALSA  Legal  Aid  (15100),  Child  Helpline  (1098), Emergency Response Support System (112), National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930), Tele Manas (14416).

The Ministry of WCD vide letter dated 11 th Nov, 2024, has conveyed approval to all States/ UTs  for  provision  of  extension  of  stay  of  distressed  woman  and  provision  of  items  like wheelchair, Stretcher and additional beds. While OSCs currently provide temporary shelter for a maximum of 5 days, a lon ger stay may be required in specific cases where relocation to Shakti Sadan is not feasible. In such cases, Centre Administrators have been given discretion to extend the stay up to 10 days on a case-by-case basis. For any further extension beyond 10 days, the District Nodal Officer (DNO)/ District Program Officer (DPO) has been authorized to allow additional stay of up to 10 more days, ensuring victims have continuous access to essential services, as required. States/UTs have also been intimated that they may ask for establishment of more than one OSC in a district should the need justify this.

Furthermore, the Ministry has also developed a SOP for OSCs to provide a comprehensive framework for coordinated survivor-centric  operations  and  management  ensuring  uniform support for women in distress with the objective to establish clear consistent guidelines to standardize  service  delivery  across  all  OSCs  and  define  roles  and  responsibilities  for stakeholders  including  OSC  staff,  health  professionals,  police,  lawyers  and  legal  aid providers. The SOP for OSC is accessible on Mission Shakti dashboard.

Under the 'Samarthya' vertical, Shakti Sadan is an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for women in distressful situations including trafficked women. It aims at creating a safe and enabling environment for the women in such difficult situations, to enable them to overcome the adverse circumstances. The resident of Shakti Sadan provided with help, care and support and all the daily needs and services to such women. The residents are also provided vocational training,  facility  for  opening  of  bank  accounts  etc.  in  convergence  with  schemes  of  the relevant departments.

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