The Ministry of Finance has cut down almost half of the Rs 1,000 crore fund that had been earmarked under the Nirbhaya Fund since 2016 due to its non-utilisation, an RTI query filed by The Sunday Guardian has revealed.
According to the RTI reply received by this newspaper, the Ministry of Finance had earmarked Rs 550 crore for Nirbhaya Fund in 2016 as well as in 2017, reducing it from Rs 1000 crore, which was initially allocated in 2013 and 2014.
The RTI reply stated that no amount was allocated to the Nirbhaya fund during the financial year 2015-2016.
The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance government in 2013 to implement initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security of women in the country. The initiative followed massive public outrage over the brutal gang-rape and murder of a young paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya in the press, in a moving bus on the streets of New Delhi on 16 December 2012.
During the UPA’s tenure, not much was done with the funds allocated towards women’s safety. Measures such as installing panic buttons in cell-phones, setting up CCTV cameras and GPS tracking in public transport system and employing women conductors remained an unfulfilled assignment.
Asha Devi, mother of Nirbhaya, expressed her dismay on the matter. She told The Sunday Guardian, “It is sad to hear that this government has reduced the funds that were allocated for women’s safety. This shows the lack of seriousness towards women’s safety. Five years have passed since my daughter laid down her life because of some goons, but no government seems to be serious about women’s safety. I feel helpless.”
She further said that the women parliamentarians should take up the cause of women’s safety seriously. “There are so many women parliamentarians in the country, but none has done anything concrete towards women’s safety. Most policies and resolutions only happen on paper; nothing seems to have changed on the ground. Even today girls are being raped, molested, and stalked in spite of the stringent laws and outrage that we saw five years back,” Asha Devi said.
As per the RTI reply, the government has already disbursed an amount of Rs 541 crore for various projects, which has been appraised and recommended by an Empowered Committee of officers under the Nirbhaya Fund.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development, the nodal agency for the Nirbhaya Fund, said in a statement earlier this year that “18 proposals amounting to Rs 2195.97 crore has been received so far, out of which 16 proposals amounting to Rs 2187.47 crores have been appraised and recommended by the Empowered Committee… And schemes like One Stop Centre, Universalisation of Women Helpline and Mahila Police Volunteer were initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development from the Nirbhaya Fund.”
Well-known woman rights activist Abha Singh, who is also an advocate, told The Sunday Guardian that the funds have been reduced because the officials were not using the funds. “There is no proper guideline nor is there any pressure on the agencies to utilise the funds. When funds remain un-utilised, the audit committee recommends to the government the reduction of the amount during subsequent years. This must be the reason why the funds have been reduced,” she said.
She added, “The decreased figure shows the apathy of the government officials towards women’s safety. The officials need to act proactively and ensure that all means and measures are taken to ensure that the funds are utilised. Even the states need to initiate programmes to ensure that the safety of women in their states is taken care of. The government also needs to set up a proper guideline for women’s safety.”