People will soon be able to send an alert to the police by pressing a separate panic button on their phones. The government plans to roll out the new system in March 2016.
The distress alert facility has been announced by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, who in October this year had stated that the administration was considering a separate panic button for all handsets. According to PTI, the minister has now managed to get manufacturers on board with this proposal.
The DoT will soon send out mandatory regulations regarding the system. Gandhi claims the process of finalizing the project took over a year, during which she held several meetings with handset makers to convince the companies to integrate an emergency button. As per earlier reports, the tool will send a message with the location of the person in trouble.
The initiative has been designed keeping the safety of women in mind. Gandhi has explained that new devices will be launched with an in-built unit. People can upgrade their current phone to the new feature by visiting a dedicated center for this purpose. She’s additionally asked brands to set up a minimum of 10000 such places across the nation.
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The firms are currently developing a technological solution for present and future handsets. The ministry for the safety of women has also announced the roll out of a National Women Helpline number. The facility is set to have a pan-India presence and is supposed to provide help in emergency situations.
The new helpline will be incorporated within One-Stop Centers which offer medical, police and legal advice to females who are affected by violence.