New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is planning to give police forces of all major metro cities 33 per cent women representation to change the facet of the Indian police forces across the country.
The move comes in the backdrop of the rising rape cases and crime against women across the country. The Union home ministry under Rajnath Singh is firming up a key proposal for giving 33 per cent reservation for women in police forces.
The national capital and other major cities will directly benefit from this move where crime against women is a major concern after the 2012 Delhi gangrape case and the recent Badaun rape case in UP. Sources said that a Cabinet note is ready on giving women 33 per cent reservation in the Delhi police. The note is now being reworked to include all metros which have a cut off population of atleast 50 lakh people.
Home secretary Anil Goswami held an extensive meet with top MHA officials and the Delhi police brass on Friday to review the security situation and measures like women helplines, which are still facing hiccups since they were established post the Delhi gangrape case.
“Cases like the Badaun gangrape, where police personnel were involved,show that there is a need to change the approach of the policemen. Accessability to the police is the first step towards addressing crime against women and bringing more women in the force will increase accessability,” a top official said.
The second Administrative Reforms Commission in its report had spelt the urgency to increase women representation in the state police and Central forces.
As per the latest data of 2013, the all-India average representation of women in the police forces is a meagre 5.33 percent or 84,479 police women against an actual strength of 15.85 lakh police force in the country.
