Nirbhaya Fund could help improve women’s safety – but money allotted for schemes is underutilised
The government’s current spending on specific interventions that address violence against women is not even 25% of the actual requirement. Representational image. | Amit Dave/Reuters
Since its inception in 2013, the Nirbhaya Fund, set up to finance projects to improve the safety and security of women, has seen significant underutilisation and slow operationalisation of approved projects.
The government’s current spending on women-specific interventions that address violence against women is not even 25% of the actual requirement, according to a recent report by Oxfam India. Up to 90% of the current spending is accounted for by the Nirbhaya Fund itself.