West Bengal gets no Nirbhaya Fund for VTP, SFSL in 5 years

The question asked the Ministry of Women and Child Development to provide details on women safety initiatives, implementation status, monitoring mechanisms, and fund utilization under the Nirbhaya Fund in West Bengal over the last five years.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Shri Saumitra Khan; Answered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (Minister Shrimati Annapurna Devi).

What the government said

• Nirbhaya Fund is a non-lapsable corpus fund administered by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• 13 specific projects/schemes are listed for West Bengal, including ERSS-112, Safe City (8 cities), One Stop Centres (OSCs), and Fast Track Special Courts.
• 24 One Stop Centres are currently functional in West Bengal (one in Darjeeling, one in Siliguri, and one in each of the other 22 districts).
• Most OSCs are located in Government Hospital buildings, except Alipurduar which is in the Sufal Bangla building.
• Projects are appraised by an Inter-Ministerial Empowered Committee and approved by the Competent Financial Authority of the sponsoring Ministry.
• Funds for recurring expenditure are released upon receipt of Utilisation Certificates and Statements of Expenditure.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has completed projects including ERSS-112, CVCF, and Anti-Human Trafficking Units.
• Ongoing projects include Safe City, Women Help Desks, Cyber forensics in SFSL Kolkata, Vehicle Tracking Platform, and Fast Track Special Courts.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has recently started implementing sensitization projects for men and capacity building for elected women representatives.
• Financial data for FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 is provided in an annexure, showing varying allocations across ministries.

Also in the document

• The answer states that no funds were released for the State-wise Vehicle Tracking Platform (VTP) in the last five years, though Rs 4.19 Crores was released in FY 2020-21.
• The answer indicates that the State of West Bengal joined the Fast Track Special Courts scheme in 2023, with no funds allocated in FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23.
• The answer notes that no funds were allocated for the Strengthening of State Forensic Science Laboratories (SFSL) in any of the last five years listed in the annexure, despite it being listed as an ongoing project in part (b).