Government to launch 3 initiatives centering women’s safety

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will announce on Tuesday a range of citizen safety initiatives, including a national emergency number and a Safe City project.
Under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), citizens in distress can dial 112, a pan-India number. The call will go to a team of professionals, trained to handle emergency requests from police, fire & rescue, health and other emergency services.
The Centre will give Rs 321.69 crore to states/UTs for ERSS under the Nirbhaya Fund for Women’s Protection. The states are required to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre (ERC) under the system.
The service is already operational in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
On Tuesday, it will be launched in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, and Mumbai.
Singh will also unveil a 112 India app, equipped with a “special SHOUT feature” by using that one can raise an alarm in emergency to registered volunteers in the vicinity for assistance.