Additional one-stop centres in districts with high crime rate against women: Irani

Chandigarh: Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said the Centre plans to open additional one-stop centres in those districts of the country where the crime rate against women is high.

One-stop centres (OSCs) are intended to support women affected by violence in private and public spaces, within the family or at the workplace. It is a 100 per cent centrally-sponsored initiative.

Addressing a gathering here, Irani said the 704 OSCs functional in the country as well as a women helpline have extended support to more than 70 lakh women.

"It is now the resolution of the Centre that additional OSCs will be opened in the districts where the crime rate against women is high and we request your (states') support to open these 300 new centres," she said.

The Union minister for women and child development also said her ministry will try to provide a similar facility in 10 other countries for the Indian women working there.

Irani was here to attend a zonal conference of her ministry with the states.

The conference was to sensitise the states and Union territories on her ministry's three umbrella missions –Poshan, Shakti and Vatsalya –to facilitate a proper implementation of the schemes over the next five years in the true spirit of co-operative federalism to ensure that the transformational social changes envisaged under these initiatives are accomplished for the benefit of women and children.

Talking to reporters later, Irani said the states have expressed their willingness to cooperate in implementing the schemes.

To a question on the implementation of the schemes in Punjab, she said she has got an assurance of 100 per cent implementation and cooperation from the administrative representatives in the presence of the state minister.

Replying to another question, the Union minister said the Centre has raised the honorarium for anganwadi workers by up to Rs 4,500.

Earlier, addressing the gathering, Irani said the "Poshan tracker", with its large sample size, helps improve the quality of the assessment and is an effective tool in monitoring the women and child development schemes.

During the session, she requested the stakeholders to use the "Mission Shakti" implementation guidelines in their assessment.

Meanwhile, Punjab's Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Baljit Kaur said a proper implementation of centrally-sponsored programmes is a must to achieve the target of empowering the country's women and children.