MHA invites bids for 911-like national helpline

NEW DELHI: The home ministry has gone ahead and invited bids for a common emergency helpline -112 -on the lines of 911 in the United States, even as the telecom department and telecom regulator are in consultation mode.

The home ministry , which invited bids on Wednesday for setting up the national emergency response helpline, will keep the facility focused on women's security for now, enabling them to place distress calls or messages without having to indicate their location. As soon as the message is received, response agencies such as police, ambulance or fire brigade will be alerted to reach the victim without delay .

According to sources, the scope of the helpline may eventually be widened.

While the home ministry has sought the number, the telecom department is yet to allocate it as a national emergency helpline.

The IT solutions provider to be selected through the MHA bid will help set up a national operations centre, besides state-level centres, and make the national emergency response system functional by 2017. The Rs 321-crore project, the first initiative to be rolled out under the Nirbhaya Fund scheme, will enable women to send distress messages through a phone call, SMS, online chats, mobile apps and even panic buttons in public transport systems and GPS-based accessories like wrist bands.