The Union Home Ministry saw a 60 per cent jump in allocation of funds for women safety schemes in 2023-24 budget estimate presented before parliament by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.

The budget papers show that the allocation put together under women safety category is ₹321 crore this time against ₹200 crore last fiscal year.

MHA sources said in the total ministry’s budget, the maximum hike of 60.5 per cent has been allocated for funds meant for women safety schemes. The rest saw much lower increment like 36.15 per cent for modernisation of police forces, 31 per cent for modernisation and upgradation of visa and immigration system and 29.17 per cent for border infrastructure and management. Towards the bottom of the hike received are National Disaster Response Force 19.87 per cent and 15.22 per cent for Delhi police, MHA sources pointed out.

The maximum inflow of ₹221 crore is for the “Emergency Response Support System” for which the ministry got fund of ₹36.13 crore only in the revised estimate of 2022-23.

For the Nirbhay transfer fund, the allocation has been reduced to half from ₹200 crore . However, the government said that ₹120.7 crore was parked for next financial year under the sub head of “Met from Nirbhaya Fund”.

Another women safety sub-scheme, where the funds have been slashed this time, is on account of “Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Child and miscellaneous schemes” where ₹120 crore have been earmarked in the 2023-24 budget estimate in comparison to ₹176.31 crore for previous fiscal.

The government’s initiatives on “Women Held Desk/Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau” too did not get any fund this time.

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