The Indian government has allocated ₹1,000 crore every year into the Nirbhaya Fund, instituted after the gang rape of physiotherapy student in Delhi in December 2012. The 23-year-old succumbed to the grave injuries which she had suffered in the brutal attack. Her death triggered nationwide protests.
"Nirbhaya" means fearless. The money allocated to the fund is meant to go towards schemes that secure the welfare and safety of women, but a report published in The Times of India today pointed out that for three years running now, the amount in the fund remains unspent.
The newspaper further reported that two schemes were proposed - ₹653 crore scheme for "safety of women on public road transport" under the Roads and Transport Ministry and the Nirbhaya Project worth ₹79.6 crore under the Home Ministry - but none took off.
Two other projects for which money was allocated in the 2016 budget - ₹461 crore for employment and rehabilitation of manual scavengers and ₹ 920 crore development of road connectivity in Naxal-affected areas - have also not taken off, TOI reported.
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