Travelling via public transport is an everyday activity for many women. However, safety concerns remain a pressing issue, with incidents of harassment and assault being reported frequently. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has taken steps towards ensuring women’s safety in public road transport through the implementation of a vehicle tracking platform.
Nirbhaya Framework: A Scheme for Women’s Safety
The Scheme for Implementation of “Development, Customization, Deployment and Management of State-wise vehicle tracking platform for Safety & Enforcement as per AIS 140 Specifications” was formulated by MoRTH in compliance with AIS-140 Standards. The guidelines were issued on 15th January 2020, with the objective of creating Monitoring Centres (Command and Control Centre or backend system) in States/UTs.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Empowered Committee set up in the Ministry of Women and Child Development regularly monitors the progress of the scheme and other projects sanctioned under the Nirbhaya Framework. The States are responsible for the selection of the agency for the design, development and deployment of the Vehicle Tracking Platform in the Monitoring Centre in accordance with the Guidelines issued by MoRTH.
Ensuring a Safe Commute
The vehicle tracking platform will allow the authorities to keep track of the movement of public transport vehicles, thus improving the safety and security of women passengers. The platform will enable monitoring of vehicle speed, location and halt duration, among other features. The implementation of this scheme is a crucial step towards ensuring that women can travel without fear and anxiety.
The successful execution of the scheme would require collective efforts of the Ministry, the States, and other stakeholders involved in its implementation. With effective monitoring and evaluation, the vehicle tracking platform will undoubtedly contribute to ensuring women’s safety in public road transport.