Women and Child Development Ministry looking at amalgamation of helplines for women

The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry on Monday said it is looking at an amalgamation of helplines for women in the country.

"We are looking for an amalgamation of all helplines across the country so they (women) don't have to remember multiple numbers as they travel through states. For this, we are in touch with the Home ministry," WCD Minister Smriti Ir said here.

She said helpline for children will stay separate.

"It is working under segregated units of NGO Childline Foundation. The intention is, it goes straight under the law and order machinery of state and Centre. If a child calls, he could be directly connected to police," she said.

Highlighting the impact of one-stop centres, Ir disclosed that 3,08,000 women have been helped through it and 54 lakh women were assisted through women helplines across the country.

"It is important for us to connect each one-stop centre to each police station and each hospital and then connect them with working women hostels," she said.

Ministry is also planning for the digitalisation of one-stop centres.

"We are happy to financially provide for it given the structure of one-stop centres currently wherever people want additional financial support. We are looking at this as well and one of the suggestions was, can we have a digital one-stop centre and that came as advice and we will work on that as well," she said.

Earlier in the day, the WCD minister held an interaction on the sidelines of a seminar with aspirational districts and 100 districts with the highest rates of crimes against women and children.

( With inputs from ANI )