Only 1 Out of 18 Nirbhaya Funded One-Stop Centres Functional: NGO

When the OSC scheme was introduced, 35 centres were to be set up which later got increased to 150 in May 2016.

Nirbhaya Fund was among series of measures taken by the government following the outrage over the gruesome gangrape of a 23-year old student on 16 December 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

The government claims to have set up 18 one-stop centres to extend support to women affected by violence under the Nirbhaya fund. But according to an NGO, called Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, only one of these facilities is actually functional.

These centre were aimed at bringing together police, counsellors, medical professionals together to help rape survivors in services like assistance in lodging in FIR, assistance on medical examinations and therapy.

Officials of the Women and Child Development Ministry, however, maintained that all 18 one-stop centres were non-functional.

17 of 18 One Stop Centres are dysfunctional. None of these 17 are operating. They are just bluff, they exist only in name. Corruption, favouritism, incompetence and arrogance is seen in almost every state.

Rajendra Kachroo, Founder, Aman Satya Kachroo Trust

When the OSC scheme was introduced in 2015, 35 centres were to be set up. In May 2016, the government revised that figure to 150 centres.

...None of the centres are collecting computerised data about the survivors brought there and details of the crime. Update on a daily basis through web-based software for UID and facility for video conferencing is also not available anywhere except in the model centre in Raipur.

Rajendra Kachroo, Founder, Aman Satya Kachroo Trust

The government had earlier claimed in Parliament that 689 women were assisted at six OSCs.

The Nirbhaya fund was set up in the aftermath of December 2012 gangrape incident in Delhi.

(With inputs from PTI)