Now Call '112' For Immediate Assistance; Single Emergency Helpline Number Launched In 16 States

In order to provide safety to the women and children of the country, the Indian Government took another step and launched a single emergency helpline service- “112”.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi jointly launched this emergency service called Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) in 16 states and Union Territories of India on 19 February.

It would provide immediate assistance to services like police (100), health (108), women safety (1090) and child protection.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while launching the emergency number, said, the central government is committed to the safety of citizens, particularly women, for whom laws were changed to ensure the guilty are punished in a time-bound manner.

How it will work

This helpline has some unique features. One can access its services through app, website, and call. Smartphone users can install ‘112’ India mobile app which is available free on Google Play Store and Apple Store. The app provides a special “SHOUT” feature which alerts registered volunteers close to the victim for immediate assistance. Another option for smartphone users is that they can simply press power button three times quickly to call to Emergency Response Centre (ERC). Normal phones users can long press “5” or “9” to activate a panic call.

One can file online complaints by logging on to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) website. The website allows you to send an emergency mail or send SOS alert to the Emergency Report Centre.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh launches the serve

Home Minister Rajnath Singh also kicked off the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences and the safe city implementation monitoring panel for law enforcement agencies in the country. NDTV report says, “It leverages the existing Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) database, which covers nearly 15,000 police stations in the country”.

This would strengthen the investigation and prosecution of the country’s rape cases.

As per a financial express report, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The government has identified eight cities for implementation of safe city projects in the first phase at a cost of Rs 2,919 crore. The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai. The projects are funded under the Nirbhaya Fund scheme,”.

The 16 states and Union Territories which have been provided the emergency helpline number are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar, and Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir.

This emergency service will be activated across the country by next year, said Rajnath Singh. The US also has similar emergency service “911”.

The Logical Indian applauds the government for launching the ‘112’ services and hopes this becomes successful. The success of this no. depends on how vigilant authorities are going to be when anyone dials the no. during an emergency.

Also Read: Now File Complaints About Crimes During The Railway Journey – Helpline Number 1512