As Delhi grapples with the problem of rising crime rate, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Saturday said the issue of safety and security has been agitating the public mind and government must restore people's faith in police and justice delivery system.
Underlining the need for improved security in the city, Ansari said lack of safety and security in public spaces affects the daily lives of all citizens.
"The issue of safety and security of citizens has been agitating the public mind in recent times. The deficit in terms of a real and perceived lack of safety and security in public spaces affects the daily lives of all citizens, especially women, children and seniors," he said.
Ansari was speaking after releasing the Delhi Human Development Report 2013 which chronicles issues regarding human development in Delhi. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was also present on the occasion.
"The government has much ground to cover to restore people's faith in the police and the legal proceedings that dispense justice to the common citizens," he said. The city had witnessed massive protest after brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl on December 16 last year.
As per official figures, the crime against women are on the rise in the city. The Vice President also said that there was an overwhelming need for ensuring a safe and secure environment for vulnerable groups such as children, elderly people and women.
Referring to findings of the report that listed progress achieved in the human development agenda, Ansari said though Delhi government ensured improvement in various sectors still the road ahead was "long and arduous" as there have been many issues that need to be addressed urgently.
"In areas such as employment, education, health, housing or provision of basic services, access is disparate for different segments of the society in the capital. "Despite the affluence, there are groups of people, across income brackets and types of settlements, who suffer from extreme vulnerability. Some are even deprived of many basic civic amenities. A levelling of living standards across different segments of the population would depend critically on improved access to basic amenities," he added.
He said gender gap in work participation and literacy levels has to be bridged at the earliest and much more needed to be done for pre-school and primary school facilities in localities inhabited by the less privileged and the minorities.
"Another challenge is the increasing informalisation of employment, which means that an increasing number of workers in the informal sector are without any form of social security or protection. This needs to be redressed," he said.
Talking about uniqueness of the national capital, he said it is a unique city-state and marked by myriad diversity in terms of religion, language, caste, region, and economic and social stratification.
"People from almost all parts of the country and from all strata of society come to Delhi and contribute to the city's economy and society. This migration of skilled and less skilled labour also pose challenges," he said.
Delving on Governance structure in Delhi, he said the administrative arrangement in the city presents a different set of challenges for governance. Observing that health care facilities have improved in the city, he said they need to be strengthened further.
He said efforts must be on to promote inclusion of all segments of society within the human development agenda.
In his concluding remarks, Ansari said, "Honest introspection would reveal a noticeable deficit. It is incumbent on us to address it. The risk of being labelled 'uncouth' or 'boorish' would be unbearable for the citizens of a proud city."
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