Government forms panel to approve schemes under Nirbhaya Fund

NEW DELHI: An empowered committee comprising officials from various ministries, including Women and Child Development, Home Affairs, Road Transport and Railways, has been constituted to approve schemes proposed under the Nirbhaya Fund, Finance Ministry said today.

The government in April this year has made the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry the nodal agency for the Nirbhaya Fund in place of Home Ministry, which could utilise only one per cent of the pool set up after the December 16, 2012 brutal gang-rape.

Secretary, Women and Child Development Ministry, will be the chairperson of the committee.

The Nirbhaya Fund has a total of Rs 3,000 crore as Rs 1,000 crore each was allocated to it in 2014-15 and 2015-16 on top of Rs 1,000 crore initial corpus.

"The Members of the Empowered Committee may nominate an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary as representative to the Empowered Committee of Officers," the Finance Ministry said in a circular.

"The Empowered Committee of Officers will take decision on the sanction of schemes/projects from Nirbhaya Fund within l5 days of the date of receipt of the proposal by the Ministry of Women & Child Development," it added.