Come March next year and all cell phones will be equipped with a panic button to assist women in distress, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi has said as all the mobile phone companies have come on board to provide such an emergency service in the gadgets.
Both existing and new cell phones will be covered under this plan for which mandatory regulations will be issued by the Department of Telecommunications soon, the Minister added. “It took us one year to finalise this initiative. We held several meetings with mobile companies and they have finally agreed to provide panic buttons in mobile phones,” Maneka said.
She explained, “Every cell phone will have an in-built panic button. Now, all new cell phones will be made with panic buttons. But customers will be able to upgrade their existing phones at dedicated centres. If a woman is in trouble, she can just press the button on the cell phone and she will immediately get help.”
“We have asked the companies to built at least 10,000 centers across the country to facilitate mobile phone users in upgrading their phones and adding the button,” she said.
The mobile phone companies are working on technological solution for existing as well as future mobile phones.
last week while addressing concerns expressed by lok Sabha members on lack of safety for women and growing crime, Maneka had noted that the condition of women in India was not good and asserted that a number of steps had been taken to empower them and tackle the challenges facing them, which will result in women doing “much better” in a couple of years.
Maneka said the Government had set up 10 women crisis centres aiming to provide free medical and legal help. Plans are afoot to increase them to 660 in all districts while the ministry is launching a National Women Helpline number that will be common throughout the country to provide assistance to women in distress.