The bigger question, however, is that since the Empowered Committee was set up in 2015 to co-ordinate and disburse funds under the Nirbhaya Fund, has anything changed on the ground?

The recent rape and subsequent murder of a young woman in RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata has led to very timely and pertinent debates regarding the status of women’s safety in India as the reported cases of sexual assault have increased in the country. During a suo-moto hearing on the Kolkata rape case, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud sharply criticized the West Bengal government for its alleged inaction in the matter. C.J.I Chandrachud also addressed the issue, underscoring the gravity of the situation saying “the nation can’t await another rape for real changes on ground.”

Nirbhaya fund
Image Source: Rishihood University

The Nirbhaya Fund was created in 2013 after the brutal, 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape as a result of a social outrage to improve women’s security in India. For the purposes of approving proposals for the deployment of these funds, an Empowered Committee was created on 26th October 2015, based on the Ministry of Women and Child Development. However, they remain unrelenting, an average of 28,972 yearly, that is, about 63. 5 cases each day.

Government Expenditure and Utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund

Rape Cases Since the Committee's Formation: 

2015 : 34,651 (Per Day: 94.2)

2016 : 38,947 (Per Day: 106.0)

2017 : 32,559 (Per Day: 89.0)

2018 : 33,356 (Per Day: 91.6)

2019 : 32,033 (Per Day: 87.6)

2020 : 28,046 (Per Day: 76.7)

2021 : 31,677 (Per Day: 86.5)

2022 : 31,516 (Per Day: 86.0)

Ever since 2015 the rape cases in India have reduced only by 9.1%.  The said numbers have slightly changed from 2019 to 2022 with 2020 being a bit lower than the rest of the years.

As per the reply provided to the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2024, the Government of India has planned a cumulative expenditure of approximately Rs 7,212. To the Nirbhaya Fund, an amount of Rs 85 crore was proposed. Of this amount 5,512 was spent on salary expenses. Out of it the total amount has been utilized by the different states and ministries amounting to 97 crore which constitutes 76 percent of the total amount provided. Further, details relating to the distribution by state were made available in a report to the Lok Sabha on 10 February 2023.

Total Allocation: ₹422.08 crore 

Total Utilisation: ₹413.07 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 97.9%

Lakshadweep:

Total Allocation: ₹5.40 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹4.96 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 92.6%

Tamil Nadu:

Total Allocation: ₹329.59 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹304.47 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 92.4%

West Bengal:

Total Allocation: ₹104.72 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹95.32 crore

Utilisation Percentage: 91.2%

Bottom Four States/UTs by Utilisation

Ladakh-UT:

Total Allocation: ₹4.54 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹1.27 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 27.9%

Arunachal Pradesh:

Total Allocation: ₹45.97 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹16.05 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 34.9%

Andhra Pradesh:

Total Allocation: ₹123.18 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹41.97 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 34.1%

Meghalaya:
Total Allocation: ₹29.30 crore
Total Utilisation: ₹12.36 crore
Utilisation Percentage: 42.2%

West Bengal, one of the top users of the Nirbhaya Fund, ranks 11th with 1,111 reported rapes in 2022, according to NCRB data. It's important to note that the NCRB publishes only the data submitted by states to the Central Government.

Nirbhaya fund
Image Source:ORF

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