The panic button devices which were distributed by the Women Empowerment and Child Development department of Uttarakhand amid much fanfare last year have failed to elicit desired results.
These devices were provided to 180 women on January 24, 2019 on the occasion of Rashtriya Balika Diwas.
However these panic buttons were pressed for only 24 times by their users during an entire year and when the police contacted them, they responded that the buttons were pressed inadvertently.
The State Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Development, Rekha Arya had distributed these devices to 180 women belonging to Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri districts. The objective of the exercise was to provide a safety cover to these women.
The small device can save up to 12 phone numbers including that of local police stations and close relatives of the women and when pressed the message is flashed on these numbers within 30 seconds. This device which is worn on the wrist also informs about the location of the woman in distress. The State Minister told media persons at her office in Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday that the device was used very sparingly and whenever it was pressed, it was done mistakenly. She said that the device costs about Rs 3000 and the department had distributed them under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Arya said that the department is planning to provide a subsidy on purchase of these devices so that the women are safe. The women in possession of the device develops a confidence and feels safe, she added.