Starting March, pressing digit 9 on mobile phones to send distress alert to police

NEW DELHI: Starting March, a gentle long press of the digit 9 on your existing mobile phone will send an immediate alert to the police and your near and dear ones, as the Narendra Modi government rolls out the panic alert facility that has been in the works for some time to help those, especially women, in distress. In future handsets, the volume buttons, when pressed together, will act as the trigger.
The alert will provide location information of the person in distress. The government has handset makers and mobile operators on board to launch the programme in March, said government officials with knowledge of the matter.

A final decision on this – a brainchild of Women & Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi – was taken in a recent meeting of representatives of various service providers and mobile phone manufacturers, called by the ministries of communication & information technology and women & child development. There was a “stalemate” over whether to install an extra physical button on the phone or come up with an app.

Top sources in the government told ET that it was made clear to the service providers and handset makers that an app was “not a practical solution” as a majority of people in the rural areas do not possess smartphones.

Deliberations took place to find out a solution for even the most basic handsets. It was decided that for existing handsets, an “upgrade” will be provided by telecom service providers.

Smartphone users can download the software patch online, while outlets of mobile companies will install it in basic handsets free of cost.

“Every handset, as explained by the service providers, works on a program. It was felt that rather than having an extra button or providing an app, it was advisable to upgrade the existing program of the mobile phone,” a senior official privy to the development said, requesting anonymity. “The upgrade will configure the phone accordingly so that each time the digit 9 is pressed, an alert is sent to the police and family members or friends of the individual”.

Mobile phone companies have been asked to work on the technological solution for the handsets. The official said the Department of Telecommunications will send a formal order asking service providers to offer the software upgrade on all existing phones.

“Both service providers and mobile manufacturers have agreed to this,” he said. As per the facility, other than the police, a mobile user will get to choose nine people who too will receive the alert.