New Delhi: Even after three years of the commencement of one stop centres (OSCs), a scheme to help women in distress, only four have become functional in Odisha.
According to the Women and Child Development Ministry, as many as 30 OSCs have been approved to start functioning in Odisha. However, only four of them are functional in the state.
The ministry further stated that 857 women have been supported by these centres in Odisha.
Similarly, out of 654 centres approved all over the country, only 234 OSCs are functional and 1,90,572 women were supported through these centres till now.
In his reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Virendra Kumar said that the ministry is regularly monitoring and reviewing the implementation of one stop centres through workshops and conferences with state governments and union territory administrations. Surprise visits have also been conducted by the officers of the ministry, he added.
Notably, the ministry has been implementing OSC scheme since April 1, 2015 to support women victims of violence. The scheme aims at facilitating access to an integrated range of services including medical aid, police assistance, legal aid/case management, psycho-social counselling, and temporary support services to women affected by violence. Under the scheme, it has been envisaged that OSCs would be set up across the country in a phased manner.
