Independence Day speech: 112 Nirbhaya helpline to be better than US’ 911, says Home ministry

NEW DELHI: Capacity to handle 10 lakh calls daily, 3,500 agents to attend to such calls and special tablets to be fitted on one lakh police vehicles by 2017 – this is how the Union home ministry has described its showpiece ‘ 112 Nirbhaya Helpline’ for an exercise initiated by the Prime Minister’s Office ahead of the Independence Day.

“This system will have similar or better capabilities than the ‘ 911’ emergency response system being used in the United States,” the ministry has said in a note to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). The note was sent after all ministries were asked to suggest “themes” which “have impacted or will impact the lives of the people” for possible use in the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech and publicity through all MIB platforms of communication.

The home ministry has said it will spend .`321 crore on this nationwide system to respond to the needs of women in distress and that it will be made functional in the next financial year. ET was the first to report on May 13 that bids had been invited for setting up the 112 helpline centre in Delhi and state call centers in all state capitals to receive distress messages from women.




The home ministry has told MIB that its proposed fast-track passport verification system through Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems should enable police verification to be completed even before the applicant gets an appointment with the Passport Seva Kendra.

MIB has also done a check on the status of the initiatives announced by the PM on the last Independence Day that has shown that the government has only built 1,22,140 toilets, or 45% of its target, till mid-June this year in schools under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and 45 LS members and 56 RS members have not identified any gram panchayat under the Sansad Gram Yojana.