New Delhi: Following the trial of the panic button feature on mobile phones as a safety measure for women across 47 districts of Uttar Pradesh, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has now asked Home Minister Rajnath Singh to implement scheme across the country.
According to an Indian Express report, Maneka in a statement on Thursday said that the trial has been successful in rural and urban areas. “The minimum time for police dispatch vans to reach the user site was recorded at 2 minutes, while the maximum time was 26 minutes, and average time was 8 minutes,” she said.
The panic button service which is backed by real time response was launched by the WCD ministry on January 26. If a woman is in distress, she can press the panic button on her phone. An SMS alert is sent to the nearest police control room, close families members, and nearby volunteers.
The volunteers are trained by local authorities for dealing with such situations. Using the global positioning system (GPS), the location of the woman is also sent to the recipients of the alert.
The panic- button system is long pending, and was supposed to be functional in India by January 2016. However, earlier trial of the system saw it being misused for prank calls, said an Indian Express report.
According to an earlier directive by the Department of Telecommunications, it is mandatory for all mobile phone to make the feature available on their mobile phones.
Users of IOS or Android smartphones can send alerts using a mobile application, while those using a basic phone have to only press the designated key.
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