TN used only 20pc of Nirbhaya Fund: Report

It stressed the need for a single three-digit national level helpline number for women and children in distress. “This will be beneficial to people who travel and commute from one state to another including foreigners,” the report stated. In Tamil Nadu, help line numbers like 100, 112, 181 and 1091 received 24,059 calls in 2020. The committee also expressed disappointment over underutilisation of Nirbhaya funds by states.

The report noted that across the country only Rs 3,581.11 crore (38.5%) has been disbursed from the fund out of Rs 9,288.45 crore. The committee recommended that the MHA coordinate with the MoW-CD and undertake consultations with states to improve utilisation of the funds, besides expeditiously implementing the schemes for which allocation has been made.

The committee also pointed out that the Fund was continuously diverted towards other projects.