By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/CHATRAPUR: Women cops manning the southern districts of Ganjam, the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday got Pink Patrol Vehicle for women’s safety campaign under Nirbhaya scheme. Ganjam SP Brijesh Rai flagged off the programme at Reserve Office at Chatrapur, where 21 Numbers of Hero Motors Scotty inducted. The Nirbhaya Fund was established by the Centre for supporting projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women.
“Women Police personnel with Pink Patrol vehicles Flag off by SP,Ganjam under d Nirbhaya_Scheme. 21 Numbers of Hero Motors Scotty inducted today at Reserve Office,Chatrapur,Ganjam will be distribute to different Police Stations of Ganjam Police District for women’s safety campaign,” SP Ganjam tweeted @sp_ganjam.
Out of the Rs 60.78 crore released by the Centre under the Nirbhaya Fund in 2020, the Odisha Government has utilised only Rs 15.15 crore, less than even 25 per cent. Several states including Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were way ahead in utilisation of the fund compared to Odisha, sources said.
Odisha had submitted utilisation certificate for only Rs 58 lakh out of Rs 22.7 crore received from the fund. Even though Rs 5.4 crore was released by the department of Justice, the State Government had not utilised the money. Similarly, Rs 10.38 crore was released to the State under the one stop Centre scheme. However, the utilisation was only Rs 54.46 lakh.Under the universalisation of women helpline scheme, the Odisha Government utilised Rs 140.64 lakh out of the Rs 191.76 lakh released from the Fund.
