Hathras case another reminder of under-utilised Nirbhaya Scheme

The rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Hathras has once again brought issues of women’s safety into focus. It has also highlighted that the much-vaunted Rs 10-billion Nirbhaya Fund, created in 2013 to provide timely assistance, treatment and rehabilitation to survivors of sexual violence, has failed to hit the mark. The high-profile rape cases in Hathras, Unnao (2018) and Kathua (2018) show that the infrastructure slated under this fund is either absent or inefficient.  

“By focusing on projects like creating special helplines and installing CCTVs under the Nirbhaya Fund, the government has made all the right noises without having