The Indian government has utilized nearly 76 percent of the Nirbhaya Fund allocated to enhance women’s safety and security, setting up thousands of women help desks and bolstering cybercrime training, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

In a written response to a parliamentary question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said 14,658 women help desks have been established across the country.

Thakur added that 13,743 of them were led by female police officers, making police stations more accessible to ladies.

Cyber Crime Labs

The government has also set up cyber forensic cum training labs in 33 states and union territories, nurturing more than 24,000 personnel to handle cyber-related crimes, the ministry said.

Since its inception, the Nirbhaya Fund has received allocations totaling ₹7,712.85 crore ($929 million) up to the financial year 2024-25.

Of this, ₹5,846.08 crore has been disbursed and utilized, though some spending may not yet be reflected due to procedural delays in submitting utilization certificates, the statement said.

The fund, created after the 2012 Delhi gang rape to finance projects aimed at improving women’s safety, has supported multiple initiatives.

These include the establishment of 827 anti-human trafficking units and 802 one stop centers that have assisted over 1 million women affected by violence.

A nationwide emergency response system, ERSS-112, has handled over 4.3 billion calls since its launch, providing police and medical assistance in crisis situations.

Additionally, the dedicated women’s helpline, or 181, has fielded over 210 million calls and supported more than 8.4 million women.

Fast-Track Justice

To expedite justice for victims of sexual crimes, the government has funded 790 fast track special courts, of which 745 are operational, disposing of more than 306,000 cases of rape and child abuse.

Public safety projects under the fund have also been implemented in major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Transport safety initiatives, such as vehicle tracking systems and artificial intelligence-based facial recognition at railway stations, have been introduced to enhance security for women commuters.