Utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund
As per the recently issued guidelines of the Department of Economic Affairs for utilization of Nirbhaya Fund, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has been assigned as the nodal Ministry to appraise the scheme to decide their suitability to qualify for getting funds from the Nirbhaya Fund and to review and monitor the progress of Schemes sanctioned under the Nirbhaya Fund. After being assigned as nodal Ministry to appraise the schemes, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has not received any proposal from State/UTs including Delhi.
A total amount of Rs.3,000 crore has been allocated to Nirbhaya Fund in the year 2013-2014, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Out of Nirbhaya Fund, a proposal of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways on “Security for women in Public Road Transport in the Country” with the estimated cost of Rs. 1405 cr and a proposal of Ministry of Home Affairs for establishing an emergency response system to attend women in distress with the estimated cost of Rs. 321.69 crore had been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 2nd January, 2014 and 4th February, 2014 respectively. An amount of Rs. 150 crore and Rs. 50 crore were provided to Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways respectively for their sanctioned projects during the year 2014-15.
Apart from this, recently two schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development i.e One Stop Centre for Women affected by violence with a total project cost of Rs. 18.58 crore and Scheme for Universalisation of Women Helpline with a total project cost Rs. 69.49 crore have also been approved to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund for implementation from the financial year 2015-16.
The Union Minister of Women and Child Development has taken a review meeting on the proposals of Emergency Response System of Ministry of Home Affairs on 6.4.2015 and on the project of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways “Security for Women in public road transport in the country” on 15.04.2015.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today.
NB/NK/PB