Single all-in-one emergency helpline number '112' launched

Sixteen states and Union territories on Tuesday joined a pan-India network of the single emergency helpline number  ‘112’ on which immediate assistance can be sought by people, the Home Ministry said on Monday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched various initiatives for women safety here on Tuesday. These include the launch of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) in 16 states and UTs and Mumbai city; the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and the safe city implementation monitoring portal.

The 16 states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry statement said. The ERSS is an integration of police (100), fire (101), health (108) and women (1090) helpline numbers to provide emergency services through the single number ‘112’.

To access the emergency services, a person can dial 112 on a phone or press the power button of a smart phone three times quickly to send a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre (ERC).In case of a normal phone, a long press of the ‘5’ or ‘9’ key will activate the panic call function, a home ministry official said.

People can also log onto the ERSS’ website for the state and lodge emergency Email or send SOS alert to state ERC. They can use ‘112’ India mobile app, which is available free on Google Playstore and Apple store.

The single number for various emergency services, which is similar to the ‘911’ in the US, will be gradually rolled out across the country, the official said.

The home minister will also launch the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO).

The ITSSO is meant for law enforcement agencies in the country.

The system is an online module available to law enforcement agencies at all levels—national, state, district and police station --  and  allows the state to undertake real-time monitoring and management for completion of investigation in rape cases in two months.

It leverages the existing CCTNS database, which covers nearly 15000 police stations in the country. The ITSSO would greatly strengthen States ability for analytics and prognosis for timely investigation and prosecution in rape cases. The safe city implementation monitoring (SCIM) portal will instil a sense of security in women in metro cities.

The government has identified eight cities for implementation of safe city projects in first phase at a cost of Rs 2,919 crore. The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai. The projects are funded under the Nirbhaya Fund scheme.