Women’s Helpline Lacks Ground Rescue Support
Panel Seeks Overhaul of Women Helpline, One-Stop Centres Network
New Delhi: A Parliamentary Standing Committee has called for strengthening the women’s helpline call centre system and its integration with field-level response mechanisms, observing that the nationwide Women Helpline (181) has, in many cases, remained “a mere call centre” rather than a fully functional ground-support system capable of rescue and immediate assistance. The findings are part of the Committee’s 377th report on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, presented in the Rajya Sabha and laid in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, following detailed consultations with the Ministry and its affiliated bodies.
The Committee noted that the helpline, integrated with the Emergency Response Support System (112), has reached nearly one crore women but is not operational in West Bengal and lacks uniform effectiveness across States. It was observed that despite serving as a first point of contact, the system often fails to provide seamless, single-window support, requiring women to approach multiple agencies. It recommended linking helplines with dedicated ground support teams, including rescue services, transport and counsellors, to ensure real-time intervention.
These concerns were raised alongside a broader review of the Ministry’s expenditure for 2026–27, with Budget Estimates placed at ₹28,183.06 crore, reflecting a 4.81 per cent increase over the previous year. The Committee, however, flagged a gap of over ₹2,500 crore between the Budget and Revised Estimates for 2025–26, attributing it to delays in fund utilisation, procedural constraints and limited absorption capacity in States. It recommended simplification of fund flow norms under the Single Nodal Agency mechanism and greater flexibility to States to ensure timely implementation of schemes.
The Committee also expressed concern over reductions in revised allocations for flagship schemes such as Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya, stating that attributing underutilisation solely to States was not sufficient. It called for identification of structural bottlenecks and corrective measures to ensure continuity in service delivery, particularly for helpline-linked interventions.
Reviewing Mission Shakti, the Committee noted that One Stop Centres (OSCs), which are linked to helpline services and partly supported through the Nirbhaya Fund, have assisted over 12.88 lakh women, with 896 centres operational out of 1,025 approved. However, it observed that these centres have become de facto short-stay homes rather than integrated service hubs, undermining the original objective of providing comprehensive support at a single location. It recommended embedding police assistance and legal aid within OSCs, conducting third-party impact assessments, and strengthening staffing based on case load rather than uniform allocation.
The Committee further recommended expediting the operationalisation of all approved centres, expanding their presence in high-population districts, and introducing urban-specific funding norms in view of higher reporting and case loads in metropolitan areas. It also suggested integrating OSC services with women police stations, social welfare hostels and district-level systems, along with developing post-exit rehabilitation and monitoring mechanisms for survivors.
In a shift towards preventive support, the Committee proposed introducing a structured migration support function within OSCs to provide short-term accommodation, counselling, city orientation and employment linkages for women migrating for work, thereby expanding their role beyond crisis response.
The Committee highlighted persistent gaps in the utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund, noting that while ₹8,212.85 crore has been allocated since inception, only ₹6,581.84 crore has been released. It recommended establishing a compliance support mechanism to assist States in meeting procedural requirements and ensure that safety-related projects are not delayed due to technical bottlenecks. It also called for quarterly audits and time-bound completion of Safe City projects in eight major cities.
On institutional support, the Committee termed the ₹36 crore allocation for the National Commission for Women as inadequate and recommended a substantial increase, along with strengthening its digital complaint management systems, expanding legal aid outreach, and filling over half of its vacant posts.
The Committee also raised concerns about the functioning of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, noting that most of its sanctioned posts remain vacant and are filled through contractual arrangements. It recommended regular recruitment, enhanced budgetary support, and strengthening of its enforcement powers, including consideration of legislative changes to make its directions binding in certain cases. It also called for the integration of child protection digital platforms into a unified national dashboard and improved outreach in underserved regions.
Under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, the Committee acknowledged increased allocation but pointed to gaps in manpower, infrastructure, and service delivery. It highlighted issues of network connectivity and digital literacy in the use of the Poshan Tracker, and recommended strengthening training and monitoring systems. It also stressed the need for strict quality control of supplementary nutrition and revision of cost norms to ensure uniform standards across States.
The Committee noted that honorariums for Anganwadi workers and helpers remain low and revisions are pending, despite expanded responsibilities. It recommended early enhancement of wages and incentives, along with allowing States offering additional payments to receive matching central support. It also flagged that 2,348 out of 7,075 sanctioned Child Development Project Officer posts remain vacant and called for urgent recruitment and revision of sanctioned strength, along with State-wise vacancy mapping and flexible staffing models.
Progress under the Anganwadi-cum-crèche (Palna) scheme was described as slow, with only 2,820 centres operational against a target of 17,000. The Committee recommended accelerating implementation, including through fast-track approvals in States with no coverage, and prioritising centres in urban clusters, industrial belts and high female workforce participation areas.
The Committee also pointed to funding uncertainties arising from changes in rural development schemes affecting Anganwadi construction and called for revising funding patterns. For urban areas, it recommended co-location with schools, use existing infrastructure, and introduce metro-specific cost norms.
It further emphasised the need to strengthen the care economy by leveraging the existing workforce of Anganwadi workers and expanding capacity-building efforts. The Committee recommended integrating employment-oriented interventions for adolescent girls, including digital literacy, communication skills, and exposure to diverse career pathways through Anganwadi and community platforms.
On maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, the Committee recommended ensuring timely direct benefit transfers to all eligible beneficiaries, improving grievance tracking, and linking beneficiaries to post-partum support, childcare services, skilling opportunities and return-to-work pathways to prevent long-term workforce exit.
The Committee also recommended expanding the scope of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign to include women’s workforce participation, suggesting initiatives such as national role model programmes, corporate gender awards, and improved gender-disaggregated workforce reporting. It further emphasised the need for safe housing infrastructure, including the expansion of working women’s hostels in high-migration and employment districts.
In its review of Mission Vatsalya, the Committee highlighted delays in digital adoption, uneven identification of children in need of care, and gaps in inter-State coordination. It called for a national audit of childcare institutions, improved child repatriation tracking, and alignment of manpower costs with minimum wage standards.
The Committee also examined autonomous bodies, recommending enhanced funding and staffing for the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development, expansion of its research role as a policy think tank, and improvements in training and digital tracking systems. It flagged staffing shortages and budget volatility in the Central Adoption Resource Authority and recommended stabilising funding, improving transparency for adoptive parents, and strengthening post-adoption counselling mechanisms.
Across programmes, the Committee emphasised the need for improved monitoring, timely fund utilisation, reduction of vacancies, and alignment of welfare schemes with broader goals of safety, mobility, and women’s participation in the workforce, recommending the inclusion of employment-linked indicators within gender budgeting frameworks.
– global bihari bureau
