Parliament Question: Implementation of Nirbhaya Fund Projects in Karnataka

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3230 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2026 IMPLEMENTATION OF NIRBHAYA FUND PROJECTS IN KARNATAKA 3230. SHRI TEJASVI SURYA: Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) the details of initiatives approved under the Nirbhaya Fund, including Safe City Projects, One Stop Centres, Women Help Desks and other interventions, project-wise in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Mysuru, during the last three years indicating the implementing agency and the current status of each project; (b) the details of funds sanctioned, released and utilised under these initiatives, project- wise during the last three years, along with the reasons for any delay in implementation/under-utilisation of funds; (c) the outcomes achieved under these initiatives, including infrastructure created, Safe City interventions operationalised, One Stop Centres established/strengthened, Women Help Desks supported, beneficiaries covered and the monitoring indicators used by the Government to assess their effectiveness; and (d) the details of the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to expedite pending projects and strengthen the implementation and monitoring of Nirbhaya Fund initiatives in Karnataka? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) & (b): Aimed at enhancing the safety and security of women and girls in the country, Nirbhaya Fund has been set up as a dedicated non-lapsable corpus fund administered by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance in accordance with the framework and guidelines issued by the Government from time to time. The Projects/ Schemes under Nirbhaya Fund that have been implemented/ being implemented in the State of Karnataka are at Annexure I. The details of funds sanctioned, released and utilised under these initiatives, project-wise during the last three years, are at Annexure II.Under the Nirbhaya Fund, depending on the requirements for the year and taking in to account the balance amount already available in the Public Account of Nirbhaya Fund, Government allocates funds on a normative basis in the Annual Budget of the relevant nodal Ministries/ Departments. (c) In Bengaluru Safe City project, in order to ensure safety of places where women work and live, all types of CCTV Surveillance Systems (11000+) installed and integrated, GIS Based Crime Mapping Services have been completed, 50 Safety Islands installed and integrated, Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC) and an Integrated Support Centre for Women and Children have been setup and operationalized, Women Help Desk established in 111 Police Stations and 08 Hospitals, Women Police Outposts established at 60 locations, Upgradation of Karnataka State Police App, Complaint Boxes setup in all 111 police stations, 8 Forensic Vans with SOC Kits are in operation, Gender Sensitization - Awareness Campaign have been conducted in Schools, Prison and Public, 250 Dash Cams procured, 10 Toilet facilities in stations and bandobast, 4 Cyber Labs established and 4 batches of Rani Chennama Team of highly-trained women police personnel set up. To ensure that the Police Stations are more women friendly and approachable, 15,049 Women Help Desks (WHDs) have been set up in Police Stations across the country, of which 14,363 are headed by women police officers. Out of these, 1050 WHDs have been established in Karnataka. The officials posted at these Women Help Desks are trained to be sensitive towards women and are assisted by a panel of lawyers, psychologists and NGOs for counselling, rehabilitation and support services. Furthermore, Karnataka operates 30 functional FTSCs including 16 ePOCSO Courts that have disposed of 17,147 cases. The number of personnel trained in Cybercrime under CCPWC Scheme in Karnataka are 2240 and the State has established 35 Anti-Human Trafficking Units. Additionally, 44 OSCs are functioning in Karnataka State. Out of which 6 OSCs are located in Bengaluru Urban, 01 in Bengaluru Rural and 2 in Mysuru district. The Women Helpline control room is functioning at Bengaluru Urban district. OSCs and WHL projects are implemented by the State Government. More than 1,23,600 women have been assisted via Women Helpline across Karnataka. (d) Projects are conceptualized, planned and brought to the Inter Ministerial Empowered Committee (EC) for appraisal and recommendation. Upon appraisal and recommendation of the proposals by the EC, the sponsoring Ministry’s respective Competent Financial Authority (CFA) gives the approval, after which the allocation of funds from the Nirbhaya Fund is made in the Budget of the sponsoring Ministry/ Department by the Ministry of Finance. For projects/ schemes which require recurring expenditure, funds are released upon receipt of Utilisation Certificates (UCs) and Statement of Expenditure (SoE) from the Implementing Ministries/Departments/ State Governments/ UTs, as required, as per provisions of General Financial Rules (GFR). The projects/ schemes under Nirbhaya Fund are demand driven and generally have staggered implementation schedules and the responsibility of implementation of the project lies with the concerned sponsoring Ministries/Departments/ State Governments. The Inter Ministerial Empowered Committee also reviews the status of implementation of projects, and expenditure on approved projects from time to time in conjunction with theconcerned sponsoring Ministries/ Departments/ State Governments/ UTs. The concerned Ministries/ Departments/ State Governments/ UTs also monitor the progress of implementation at their own levels. *****Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3230 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2026 REGARDING ‘IMPLEMENTATION OF NIRBHAYA FUND PROJECTS IN KARNATAKA’ (i) Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)-112, (ii) Safe City project implemented in 8 Cities including Bengaluru city, (iii) One Stop Center (OSCs), (iv) Universalisation of Women Helpline (WHL)-181, (v) Setting-up/ Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU), (vi) Setting-up/ Strengthening Women Help Desk (WHDs), (vii) Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC), (viii) Cyber forensic and related facilities in State Forensic Science Laboratories in Bengaluru (SFSLs), (ix) Training of Investigating Officers (IOs)/ Prosecution Officers (POs)/ Medical Officers (MOs) in Forensic Evidence collection, (x) Central Victim Compensation Funds (CVCF), (xi) State-wise Vehicle Tracking Platform (VTP), (xii) Setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) to dispose of cases pending trial under rape and POCSO Act, (xiii) Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), implemented by Government of Karnataka, (xiv) Sensitization of men towards women related issues including safety and security of women and (xv) Freedom from Violence: Capacity Building of Elected Women Representatives on Legal Provisions on safety and security of women.Annexure II Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3230 to be answered on 07.08.2026 regarding ‘Implementation of Nirbhaya Fund Projects in Karnataka’ (Amount in Rs Crores) Amount Released/ Utilised Fund FY FY appraised FY Ministries Sl.no Project Name 2023- 2024- by EC 2025-26 24 25 1 Safe City for Bengaluru 2919.55 100.05 25.00 49.14 Strengthening DNA analysis, 2 cyber forensic & related 252.79 0.0 0.0 0.0 facilities in SFSLs Setting up/ Strengthening 3 Women Help Desks in Police 0.03 0.12 0.00 Stations 164.69 Ministry of Home Affairs Emergency Response 4 364.05 0.0 0.0 0.0 Support System (ERSS) Cyber Crime Prevention 5 against Women & Children 195.83 0.96 0.00 0.00 (CCPWC) Setting up and strengthening 113.76 6 Anti-Human Trafficking 0.0 0.0 0.0 Units Setting up Fast Track Special Department of Courts to dispose off cases 7 7.45 7.65 8.03 Justice pending trial under Rape & 5123.20 POCSO Act. Ministry of Road Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport & 8 56.06 0.0 0.0 0.0 Transport Corporation Highway Ministry of 9 One Stop Centre (OSC) 533.39 877.00 1500.00 867.74 Women & Child Development 10 Women Helpline 94.50 18.90 72.30 155.94 *****