lucknow

Updated: Dec 28, 2014 13:53 IST

Home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the government was taking steps to create deterrents against acid attacks. Expressing concern over the spurt in such cases, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said soon sale of acid would be registered and monitored online. The system would be launched in Delhi first, he said.

Addressing young women at the platinum jubilee function of Mahila Vidyalaya PG College, Singh said: “I have already instructed the Delhi police to start online monitoring of acid sale to keep a check on the crime.” The remarks come only a week after a woman doctor was attacked with acid in the national capital.

Emphasising on the need to impart self-defence training to girl students, he said: “Girl students of all schools and colleges should be given training in self defence.”

He also urged Mahila College principal Jaya Srivastava to get the students of the all girl institution trained in self-defence.

Over increasing incidents of women’s harassment and rape, he said: “A system is being developed wherein women would be required to click a button on their mobile phones to alert the police control room and PCR vans would immediately rush to the spot for their safety.”

“I consider myself to be lucky that my first child was a girl. If every person has a similar thinking then no one can dare to commit a crime against our sisters and daughters,” he added.

The Lucknow MP also pitched for more participation of women in politics.

“It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who initiated the idea of 33% reservation for women in politics and I ensured 33% reservation in the Bharatiya Janata Party during my stint as the national president of the party.”

To encourage more girls to join paramilitary forces the home ministry had sent an advisory to all the chief ministers to give 33% representation to women in security forces, he informed. Highlighting that at present there was only 1.5% representation of women in paramilitary forces, he said his government had fixed a target to take the percentage to 5% in the next three years.