For basic info of Nirbhaya Fund, read Nirbhaya Fund from Prelims Notebook
Funds unutilised:
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As per data released by the Home Ministry, various projects under different ministries have not even used half the funds allocated to them
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One such example is the Integrated Emergency Response Management System (IERMS) under the Ministry of Railways. The project was to provide 24×7 security to women across railway stations, strengthen security control rooms, deploy more Railway Police Force (RPF) and install CCTV cameras. The project was appraised at Rs 500 crore, out of which a meager Rs 50 crore has been used so far.
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The Home Ministry’s Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children project was appraised at Rs 195.83 crore, out of which only Rs 82 crore has been utilized.
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The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Abhaya Project, which was proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government to ensure safety of women and children during transport, was appraised at Rs 138.49 crore, but only Rs 58.64 crore has been used.
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The under-utilization or no utilization of Nirbhaya fund has now come under the radar of the Supreme Court.
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The apex court has asked the states to reveal the amount they’ve received under the Nirbhaya fund and to apprise the court of how the money has been disbursed to victims of sexual assault.