Union Home Minister to launch various women safety initiatives.

Emergency Response Support System to be launched in 16 States/UTs and Mumbai Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal also to be launched.

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will launch various initiatives for women safety here tomorrow. These initiatives will include launch of Emergency Response Support System in 16 states/UTs and Mumbai city, Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal. The 16 states/UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, J&K.

To provide effective deterrence against the offence of rape, the Government has enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018. And for effective implementation of the Act the measures to strengthen investigation and prosecution machinery and to instil a sense of security amongst women, Government is launching these initiatives.

Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)

The Union Home Minister will launch the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). The ERSS is a pan-India single number (112) based response system for persons in distress. A citizen may use the following methods to access the emergency services:

a. Dial 112 from phone

b. Press power button on smart phone 3 time quickly to activate panic call to ERC.

c. In case of feature phone, long press of “5” or “9” key on the phone will activate the panic call.

d. Log onto ERSS website for the State and lodge emergency

e. Email SOS alert to State ERC

f. Use 112 India Mobile App, which is available free on Google Playstore and Apple store.

Under this system, all the states have to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre (ERC). It will have a team of trained Call-takers and Dispatchers to handle emergency requests relating to assistance from Police, Fire & Rescue, Health and other emergency services. Police can view all events after an Emergency call is made at the ERC. The ERCs are connected to District Command Centres (DCC) and the Emergency Response Vehicles, and assistance/response to victims are facilitated through them. ERSS is designed to be a common protocol managed by each State/UT. ERSS also provides a 112 India mobile App for making distress calls by any person. For Women and children, 112 India App provides a special SHOUT feature which alerts registered volunteers in the vicinity of victim for immediate assistance. The Central Government is funding Rs.321.69 crore to the States/UTs for ERSS as part of Nirbhaya scheme project. The service has already been launched in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO)

Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh will also launch the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) on the occasion. The ITSSO is meant for Law Enforcement Agencies in the country. The Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) is an online module available to law enforcement agencies at all levels- National, State, District and Police Station that allows State to undertake real-time monitoring and management for completion of investigation in rape cases in 2 months. It leverages the existing CCTNS data base, which covers nearly 15000 police stations in the country. ITSSO would greatly strengthen States ability for analytics and prognosis for timely investigation and prosecution in rape cases.

The Criminal Law Amendment in April 2018 prescribes stringent penal provisions including death penalty for rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. For swift administration of justice in such cases, the Act also inter-alia mandates completion of investigation and trials within 2 months. To enhance women safety in the country, Government has formulated a multi-pronged action plan and initiated a series of measures. ITSSO is one of such measures developed by MHA towards Smart Policing.

Safe City Implementation Monitoring (SCIM) portal

In order to instil sense of security in women in metro cities, Government has identified eight cities for implementation of Safe City projects in first phase at a cost of Rs.2,919 crore. The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow & Mumbai. The projects are funded under Nirbhaya Fund scheme. The projects have been prepared jointly by Municipal bodies and City Police and reflect integrated action for safety of women. Safe City projects involves creation of on-ground assets, resources & behaviour change programs for safety of women. The projects will supplement existing assets and meet citizen demands for safe eco-system for women in these cities.

Important features of the Safe City projects include:

a. Identification of crime Hot-spots in each city.

b. Saturating such Hot-spots with increased CCTV surveillance.

c. Automated Number Plate Reading (ANPR) and drone-based surveillance also being deployed in few cities as per requirement.

d. Setting up women police out-posts for facilitating ease of access by any aggrieved woman to report incidence or seek assistance.

e. Patrols by Women police in vulnerable areas.

f. Setting up Women Help Desks in Police Stations with facility for trained Counsellors.

g. Augmentation of existing women support centers like Asha Jyoti Kendra or Bharosa centers etc.

h. Implementing Safety measures in buses, including Cameras.

a. Improving Street Lighting in identified Hot Spot areas.

j. Setting up Toilets for women.

k. Undertaking social awareness programmes on women safety and gender sensitivity

All the above measures would be coordinated through an Integrated Smart Control Room in the city. In order to facilitate States to monitor and manage the Safe City projects and avoid duplication on ground, an online Safe City Implementation Monitoring (SCIM) portal has been developed by MHA. SCIM will facilitate online tracking of deployment of assets and infrastructure created under the Safe City projects. SCIM facilitates an evidence based online monitoring system. Details on assets and infrastructure are captured along with latitude and longitude using GPS for greater transparency. SCIM also creates a digital repository of assets, infrastructure and social outreach programs, as well as best practices achieved in each City.

During the event, the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh will also make an announcement of a special project under Nirbhaya Fund for strengthening DNA analysis capacities in the State Forensic Science Laboratories of four States of Tamil Nadu (Chennai and Madurai), Uttar Pradesh ( Lucknow and Agra), West Bengal (Kolkata) and Maharashtra ( Mumbai) during the event. (Source: pib)