West Bengal failed to implement Centre's schemes to deal with crimes against women: WCD minister

New Delhi: Amid uproar over the rape of a doctor in West Bengal, Union minister Annapurna Devi has said the situation of women in the state has been "deteriorating" and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to implement central government schemes such as fast track courts and emergency helplines to deal with crimes against women.

It is ironic that it is the only state in the country that has a woman chief minister and still the situation of women in the state is deteriorating, Women and Child Development minister Devi told PTI.

"There are states like West Bengal where we are trying to get the central government schemes implemented but it is not happening. There are central government schemes, such as fast track special courts and POCSO courts, that have been established to deal with crimes against women and children but the state (West Bengal) is lagging behind in it," Devi said.

"We are sponsoring the scheme so you don't have to spend money but the state has to implement it. We have been giving suggestions to the state to implement schemes related to women and children," she added.

Devi said the fast track special courts (FTSCs), which were allocated to West Bengal, are yet to become operational in the state.

"There are 752 fast-track special courts (FTSCs), including 409 exclusive POCSO Courts, functioning across 30 States and Union Territories and they have disposed of over 2,53,000 cases since the scheme began. West Bengal was allocated 123 FTSCs under this scheme, with 20 dedicated POCSO Courts and 103 combined FTSCs handling both rape and POCSO Act cases. However, none of these courts had become operational," she said.

The WCD minister also pulled up the state for failing to implement key emergency helplines -- the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline. She said these services are vital for providing immediate support to victims of violence but have not been implemented in West Bengal despite repeated reminders from the Centre.

The minister's comments come amid massive protests in West Bengal following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The BJP has called for a 12-hour shutdown in the state on Wednesday, protesting police action against demonstrators during a march to the state secretariat.

Devi also spoke on the upcoming nutrition month, which is celebrated annually in the month of September. This year's celebration will be focused on the central government initiative, 'Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi' (PBPB), which was launched to improve the capacity of anganwadi workers to provide early childhood care and education, nutrition, and services to children under six years old.

The minister added that under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, the anganwadis across the country have been advised to carry out a plantation drive.

The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 5 to mark World Environment Day, under which some 140 crore trees will be planted across the country.