The violent gang rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad have ignited massive protests across the country with protesters and lawmakers demanding very strict laws to be made and implement, the death penalty and even public lynching of the four accused involved in the monstrous crime. Almost seven years have passed to the incident of Nirbhaya, a Delhi student, was gang-raped and murdered by a group of six sexual deviants. After this, some changes were brought in the laws.
The government had created Nirbyaha Fund, which was established in 2013 by the Centre to ensure better implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security of women across India. But on analyzing the status of the fund today 2nd December 2019, it was found that very little has been used for the safety point of view, majority of states have been extremely unresponsive in spending the amount distributed under Nirbhaya Fund.
The data released by Centre showed that some states, including Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura and Daman and Diu have failed to utilise even a single penny of Nirbhaya Fund so far. Most of the states have failed to make use of even 50 per cent of the fund allocated by the Centre under the Nirbhaya Fund.
For everything, it becomes the game of politics, even such kind of serious matters politicians are throwing on each other. Opposition party raised several questions to which the Union Minister Smriti Irani very diligently replied all the questions with evidence. The questions were raised by Lok Sabha MPs Mala Roy, Dr Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, A Raja, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Vincent Pala and Ramalingam S. Union Minister of Child and Women Development Smriti Irani presented the entire data in Lok Sabha on November 29th 2019. The data included the details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and utilized under Nirbhaya Scheme by different state and Union Territories.
According to the evidence, Delhi has spent only Rs 19.41 out of Rs 390.90 allocated by the Centre in Nirbhaya Fund. The situation is very disappointing in Uttar Pradesh, as the state government has spent just Rs 3.93 crore out of Rs 119 crore. Karnataka government is also lagging behind when it comes to utilising Nirbhaya Fund for the safety fund as only 13.62 crores out of the total fund of 191.72 have been used by the state government for the safety of women. Telangana government has also failed to make proper use of Nirbhaya Fund as the state has utilised a paltry Rs 4.19 crore out of total allocated Rs 103 crore under Nirbhaya Fund.
| Serial No. | State/Union Territory | Total funds sanctioned/allocated to State/UT (in Rs Lakh) | Utilization Certificate Received |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 2085.00 | 814.0 |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | 768.86 | 224.03 |
| 3 | Assam | 2072.63 | 305.06 |
| 4 | Bihar | 2258.60 | 702.00 |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | 1687.41 | 745.31 |
| 6 | Goa | 776.59 | 221.00 |
| 7 | Gujarat | 7004.31 | 118.50 |
| 8 | Haryana | 1671.87 | 606.00 |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | 1147.37 | 291.54 |
| 10 | Jammu and Kashmir | 1256.02 | 324.53 |
| 11 | Jharkhand | 1569.81 | 405.33 |
| 12 | Karnataka | 19172.09 | 1362.00 |
| 13 | Kerala | 1971.77 | 472.00 |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh | 4316.96 | 639.50 |
| 15 | Maharashtra | 14940.06 | 0 |
| 16 | Manipur | 878.78 | 0 |
| 17 | Meghalaya | 675.39 | 0 |
| 18 | Mizoram | 883.57 | 543.68 |
| 19 | Nagaland | 689.55 | 357.84 |
| 20 | Odisha | 2270.53 | 58.00 |
| 21 | Punjab | 2047.08 | 300.00 |
| 22 | Rajasthan | 3373.2 | 1011.00 |
| 23 | Sikkim | 613.33 | 0 |
| 24 | Telangana | 10351.88 | 419.00 |
| 25 | Tamil Nadu | 19068.36 | 600.00 |
| 26 | Tripura | 766.59 | 0 |
| 27 | Uttar Pradesh | 11939.85 | 393.00 |
| 28 | Uttarakhand | 953.27 | 679.41 |
| 29 | West Bengal | 7570.80 | 692.73 |
| 30 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 653.08 | 147.05 |
| 31 | Chandigarh | 746.02 | 260.83 |
| 32 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 420.00 | 158.00 |
| 33 | Daman and Diu | 420.00 | 0 |
| 34 | Delhi (UT) | 39090.12 | 1941.57 |
| 35 | Lakshadweep | 614.71 | 76.93 |
| 36 | Puducherry | 496.16 | 128.55 |
Andhra Pradesh has also spent less than 50 per cent of the money allocated under Nirbhaya Fund as the state government has spent only Rs 8.14 crore out of Rs 20.85 crore for the safety of women. Bihar had been allocated a sum of Rs 22.58 crore but the state government has utilised only Rs 7.02 crore.
Gujarat too is also lagging behind when it comes to utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund as the total money spent by the state is only Rs 1.18 crore while the allocation by Centre is Rs 70.04 crore. In Madhya Pradesh, only Rs 6.39 out of Rs 43.16 crore allocated by Centre has been used so far. Tamil Nadu is also far behind in making use of Nirbhaya Fund for the safety and security of women as the state has made use of only Rs 6.39 crore out of total Rs 43.16 crore allocated. West Bengal was allocated Rs 75.60 crore by the Centre under Nirbhaya Fund but the amount used has been a meagre Rs 3.92 crore.
While demand for more laws are raised every time such a crime is reported, the uninspiring response to utilise Nirbhaya Fund for the safety of women sends a message that the state governments are not serious in bringing change in the lives of women.
“For Any Change in the Society State Governments Have To Be Serious In Utilizing the Sources for Raising Healthy Welfare System”
❖ Read More:
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➥ Twinkle Rape Case: Minor Girl Murdered and Mutilated, Bollywood Mourns
➥ Can Ever Women Think Of Living without Fear in India?
