SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has received and utilised Rs 61.35 crore under projects supported by the Nirbhaya Fund since its inception, the Union Government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The figure places JK among the Union Territories and States receiving funding under the Centre’s women-safety initiative, according to state-wise data tabled by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Ladakh, meanwhile, has received and utilised Rs 6.34 crore, while Delhi accounted for Rs 485.47 crore and Uttar Pradesh Rs 746.26 crore, the highest among the States and UTs listed in the annexure.
Nationally, the competent financial authorities have allocated Rs 7,990.85 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund up to 2025-26. Of this, Rs 6,703.02 crore has been released or utilised for approved projects.
The Ministry clarified that Nirbhaya Fund projects are demand-driven and that several projects implemented through ministries including External Affairs, Housing and Urban Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways are not implemented on a State-wise basis. Consequently, year-wise amounts released or utilised for such projects at the State level are not maintained.
The Centre said 991 One Stop Centres (OSCs) are currently functional across all 36 States and UTs. The centres provide women facing distress with access to police, medical and legal assistance, counselling and psychological support. More than 15.20 lakh women have been assisted through the centres so far.
The Women Helpline, a 24-hour toll-free service operating through short code 181, is currently functional in 35 States and UTs. It has handled 3.16 crore calls and assisted more than 1.04 crore women, the Ministry said.
The Government also clarified that there is no standalone CCTV network project under the Nirbhaya Fund. However, CCTV infrastructure has been incorporated into several projects, including Safe City initiatives, emergency response systems, railway surveillance, facial recognition-linked surveillance and CCTV installations at selected public locations.
On compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions in Nipun Saxena vs Union of India, the Government said the National Legal Services Authority had drafted the Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes, 2018, which was circulated to all States and UTs for implementation.
The Centre further said that under the Central Victim Compensation Fund, Rs 200 crore was released as a one-time grant to all States and UTs in 2016-17 to support their respective victim compensation schemes.
