‘Building construction defeats purpose’

A parliamentary panel headed by Congress leader P. Chidambaram has taken strong exception to the utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund in the construction of buildings, saying such allocations defeat the very purpose of the project — that of safety for women.

In a report submitted to the Rajya Sabha last week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs said, “The committee is also of the firm view that funds for the construction of buildings should come from other sources and not from the Nirbhaya Fund.

The committee also said that sanctioning money from the Nirbhaya Fund for schemes pertaining to compensation would render it as a fund merely for disbursal and would not have a desired impact at the ground-level in enhancing the security scenario for women.

The Nirbhaya Fund was started in 2013 by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.