VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday reviewed implementation of Disha and Abhaya projects. He also wrote a letter to Union minister Smriti Irani seeking her support to get the Disha Bill cleared by Parliament.
Speaking to officials at his Tadepalli camp office on Friday, the chief minister said Zero FIR opportunity should be widely given. He said women may hesitate to go to police station for complaining and they should be provided with option to complain through women police in villages.
He wanted district collectors and SPs to review women safety once in two weeks and send a report to the government.
In his letter to Smriti Irani, minister for women and child welfare, the chief minister sought her help to expedite the process of approval of Disha Bill. He told the minister that the government had appointed two officers drawn from IAS and IPS cadres to handle the cases related to women and children under Disha Bill.
He said the government has established 18 Disha police stations, 12 designated women courts, 9 POSCO courts, 900 Disha patrolling vehicles, women help desks in 700 police stations to ensure safety of women and children.
He said that the Disha Bill was cleared by AP assembly in 2020 and has been pending with the Union home ministry as it required amendment to criminal law and establishment of special courts besides severe punishment to the offenders. As criminal law, criminal procedure and judiciary are in the concurrent list, the AP bill was sent for President’s consent, he said.
He added that the bill was referred to the women and child welfare ministry for comments and requested the Union minister to complete the process.
Jagan Mohan Reddy requested Smriti Irani to support the state “enabling creation of a robust and conducive ecosystem for speedy justice and ushering in safety, dignity and happiness of women and children in Andhra Pradesh.”
