Railways to install CCTV Surveillance System under Nirbhaya Fund

Indian Railways will install 19,000 high definition CCTV cameras at over 983 stations across the country under the Nirbhaya Fund at an approved cost of Rs 500 crore in order to ensure round-the-clock security to passengers including women. The cameras will be installed at platforms and waiting areas. The CCTV footages would be monitored by trained RPF personnel and the concerned station master will also be given access to the CCTV camera footage.
Indian Railways has about 8,000 stations. Of these only 344 stations have been installed with CCTV cameras so far. Apart from them, the Shaan-e-Punjab Express is fully covered with CCTV cameras. Some of the ladies compartments of Mumbai suburban service are also covered with CCTV cameras under a pilot project. Similarly, the Hamsafar Express and the upcoming Tejas service will also be equipped with CCTV cameras.

Nirbhaya Fund

Nirbhaya fund was announced with a corpus of Rs.1000 crore by the UPA government after the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape incident. Nirbhaya Fund was announced in 2013 Union Budget to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India. The Fund is administered by Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the finance ministry. Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry to appraise schemes under the Nirbhaya Fund. The ministry also reviews and monitors the progress of sanctioned Schemes in conjunction with other Ministries/Departments. From time to time, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) issues guidelines for administration and operationalisation of the Fund.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2017