The Nirbhaya fund meant to strengthen women’s security, allocated annually to the Delhi Police, has been hiked by nearly nine times in this year’s Budget. Senior police officers said that they had requested for a higher amount this year as they have several projects in the pipeline where the money could be utilised.
A nine-time jump
From the ₹3.4 crore that was allocated for the past two years, this year ₹28.9 crore has been set aside for the Nirbhaya Fund. “We have demanded more funds to set up a mobile forensic lab and further strengthen women’s safety. The existing women’s helpline and mobile app will be further modernised to reach out women in distress at the earliest,” said a senior police officer.
Another officer from the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), which is the nodal unit for the utilisation of the Nirbhaya fund, said they need to build capacity for forensic examination of phones as a lot of women complain about being threatened and stalked online.
As far as the total budget is concerned, the Delhi Police have been allocated ₹6,378.18 crore in the Union Budget, an increase of ₹464 crore aimed at sprucing up traffic infrastructure, induction of latest technology and capacity building.
The Budget estimate has put non-plan expenditure at ₹5,910.28 crore, a marginal jump over the current fiscal’s estimate of ₹5,657.84 crore. The non-plan expenditure comprises routine expenses as well as the amount to be spent on various schemes to be implemented by the Delhi Police.
