Parliament Question: Safety and Security of Women through the Nirbhaya Fund

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2026 SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN THROUGH THE NIRBHAYA FUND

3294. SHRI BUNTY VIVEK SAHU

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Govemment has taken effective measures for the safety and security of women through the Nirbhaya Fund, if so, the details thereof, including the benefits accrued to the State of Madhya Pradesh, particularly in Chhindwara district;

(b) whether the Govemment is considering the expansion of One Stop Centres, women's support services and other safety infrastructure to strengthen the safety and security of women in Chhindwara the said district, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Govemment is implementation any special campaigns to further strengthen safety awareness and provide prompt assistance mechanisms for women and girls in rural and tribal areas, if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether the Govemment is implementing any special action plan to ensure the effective and expeditious utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund in the said State, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (d): Aimed at enhancing the safety and security of women and girls in the country, Nirbhaya Fund has been set up as a dedicated non-lapsable corpus fund administered by the Department of Economic Affairs(DEA),Ministry of Finance in accordance with the framework and guidelines issued by the Government from time to time. The Institutional mechanism envisages a co-ordinated approach involving the concerned Central Ministries, State Governments and Implementing Agencies for conceptualization, execution and monitoring of the projects. Projects are conceptualized, planned and brought to the Inter- Ministerial Empowered Committee(EC) for appraisal and recommendation. Upon appraisal and recommendation of the proposals by the EC, the sponsoring Ministry’s respective Competent Financial Authority (CFA) gives the financial approval, after which the allocation of funds from the Nirbhaya Fund is made in the Budget of the sponsoring Ministry/ Department by the Ministry of Finance from the Nirbhaya Fund. The projects/ schemes under Nirbhaya Fund are demand driven and generally have staggered implementation schedules and the responsibilityof implementation of the project lies with the concerned sponsoring Ministries/Departments/ State Governments.

The Inter Ministrerial Empowered Committee also reviews the status of implementation of projects, and expenditure on approved projects from time to time in conjunction with the concerned sponsoring Ministries/ Departments/ State Governments/ UTs. The concerned Ministries / Departments / State Governments/ UTs also monitor the progress of implementation at their own levels.

Under the Nirbhaya Fund, upto the financial year 2025-26, a total amount of Rs. 320.71 Crore has been released/utilized for projects implemented through different implementing agencies in the State of Madhya Pradesh including the projects of Ministry of Women and Child Development viz. OSCs and WHL.

One Stop Centre (OSC) provides integrated and immediate support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces all across the country. It provides services like medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance and psycho-social counselling to needy women across the country.

As on date, 991 One Stop Centres have been made operational across the country and since inception, i.e. 1st April, 2015 to 30th June, 2026, over 15.20 lakh women have been assisted through One Stop Centres across the country. As on date, 63 OSCs are operational in Madhya Pradesh which have assisted over 1,65,475 women; out of which one OSC in Chhindwara is operational which has assisted 1095 women.

Women Helpline (WHL-181) provides 24-hour toll-free telecommunication services to support women in both emergency and non-emergency situations. It offers assistance to women affected by violence and provides information about government schemes and services. Since inception (1st April, 2015 to 30th June, 2026), over 1.04 crore women have been assisted through Women Helplines across the country. In the State of Madhya Pradesh, WHL has assisted over 3,83,834 women till 30th June, 2026.

To strengthen convergence and ensure seamless access to support services, OSCs have been integrated with the Women Helpline (WHL), and so far, 661 OSCs have been integrated.

Through this integration, women can be referred to appropriate services in a timely and coordinated manner. Further, the Women Helpline has also been integrated with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), Child Helpline (1098) and other relevant service delivery mechanisms to facilitate prompt emergency response and effective inter- agency coordination. In addition, OSCs have also been integrated with Shakti Sadan to enable referral of women requiring long-term institutional support, rehabilitation and safe accommodation, thereby ensuring a continuum of care under the Mission Shakti framework.

Details of projects and funds released/utilized out of Nirbhaya Fund for the State of Madhya Pradesh are at Annexure. *****Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2026 REGARDING ‘SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN THROUGH THE NIRBHAYA FUND’.

(Amount in Rs. Crores) Mo D/o Ministry of Home Affairs RT DoJ** MWCD # Tou H* rism Strengt Setting Setting u Smart an Cent Eme Cyber hening Settin up and sState p Fast Tr d safe CiSafe ral V Ma rgen Crime DNA ang up/ Strtrengthe-wis ack Spec ties Free Tour icti Wo hila cy R Preve alysis, cengthenining Ane Veial CourtOne from Viism m C me Poli espo ntion ayber forng Womti-Humahicle s to dispSto olence aDest omp n Hce nse S gainst ensic & en Help n TraffiTrac ose off cp C gainst Winati Tot ensa elpl Vol uppo Womerelated fDesks in cking Uking ases penentr omen anon foal A tion ine unte rt Sy n & Cacilities Police Stnits in alPlatf ding triae (O d Girls' r womo Fun (W ers ( stem hildre in SFSLations in l districtorm (l under SC) Program men unt d (C HL) MP (ER n (CCs in 30 Sall States of StatVTP Rape & me, Govin Mrele VCF V) SS) PWC) tates/ Us & Uts es & UT) POCSO t. of M.PP ase ) Ts s Act . d/ Am Am Am Util AmoAm Amo Amou oun ounoun ised unt ount Amoun Amount Amoun unt Amount Amount nt Rel t Ret Rt Re Rele Rele t ReleasRelease t ReleasRele Release Release eased/ leas elealeas ased ased ed/ Utilid/ Utilised/ Utiliased d/ Utilis d/ Utilis Utilis ed/ sed/ ed/ / Util/ Uti sed ed sed / Utiled ed ed Util UtilUtil ised lised ised ised ised ised

14.1 21.8 101.3.6 16.7 320

3.91 8.66 10.65 6.93 4.19 127.29 0.30 1.04 9 0 37 0 8 .71 * Ministry of Road Transport and Highways ** Department of Justice # Ministry of Women and Child Development *****