Centre To Ensure A Safe Lucknow Under Nirbhaya Scheme; Bats For ‘Pink Cities’ 

The Union Home Ministry will finance a project which will enable Lucknow set up ‘pink’ outposts with all-women staff to register complaints and make the city safe for women. The ‘Safe City Project’, which is awaiting approval, is part of the plans made by the Centre to make cities safe for women. The eight cities selected under the project are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, reports The New Indian Express.

The project, which costs an estimated Rs 194. 44 crore, will get its funds from the Nirbhaya scheme, under which the city would also have policewomen patrolling at night and women at help desks across all police stations along with counsellors. The project would be implemented as a scheme sponsored by the Centre, with the Centre and state sharing funding in a 60:40 ratio, said the ministry on Thursday (1 November).

Coincidentally, Home Minister Rajnath Singh is a Lok Sabha member from Lucknow.

The other aspects of the project are improvement of Asha Jyoti Kendras, which include better street lighting, CCTVs, safety in buses and a women’s helpline number (112), apart from gender sensitisation campaigns.