Despite reminders, Bengal govt didn't improve women safety: WCD Minister Annapurna Devi

Union women and child development (WCD) minister Annapurna Devi has written a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee highlighting the lapses and delay by the state government in implementing women safety measures despite repeated reminders from the central government.

The WCD minister was responding to Banerjee's letter to PM Modi demanding a central legislation for speedy justice in sexual assault cases.

In her letter dated August 25, Devi criticised the West Bengal government for failing to implement key emergency helplines such as the Women's Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline. She said the state has not yet integrated them despite multiple reminders from the Central government.



"This lapse deprives the women and children in Bengal of critical support in times of distress," read the letter.

The minister talked about the Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) scheme, launched in October 2019 which was designed to expedite the trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.


She informed in the letter that the Central government allocated 123 FTSCs to West Bengal, including 20 exclusive POCSO courts and 103 combined courts for both rape and POCSO cases.

However, as of mid-June 2023, none of these courts had been made operational, she said.