“MHA aims 13 women police personnel in each police station…”: Nityanand Rai

New Delhi [India], December 5 (ANI): The aim of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is to ensure at least three women Sub-Inspectors and 10 women police constables in each police station so that a women help desk is manned round the clock, and a total of 2,46,103 (11.75 per cent) women police personnel were serving till January 1 last year among total police personnel across the country, Minister of State for Home Nityanad Rai informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Responding in written reply to a query of a legislature whether number of women police personnel has increased in the last decade, the Minister cited a data compiled by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) which shows that a total of 97,518 women police personnel were serving in 2013 (5.87 per cent of total police); 1,05,325 (6.11 per cent) in 2014; 1,10,872 (6.44 per cent) in 2015; 1,22,912 (7.10 per cent) in 2016; 1,40,184 (7.28 per cent) in 2017; 1,69,550 (8.73 per cent) in 2018; 1,85,696 (8.98 per cent) in 2019; 2,15,504 (10.30 per cent) in 2020; and 2,17,026 women police personnel (10.49 per cent) in 2021.

The Minister also said that the Centre also issues advisories to the states and the Union Territories (UTs) for increasing number of women in the police forces.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued advisories dated May 21, 2014, May 12, 2015, June 21, 2019, June 22, 2021 and April 13, 2022 to all the state governments and UT administrations to increase the representation of women police to 33 per cent of the total strength. All the state governments and UTs administrations have been requested to create additional posts of women constables and sub-inspectors by converting the vacant posts of constables and sub-inspectors. The aim is that each police station should have at least 3 women sub-inspectors and 10 women police constables, so that a women help desk is manned round the clock,” the MoS replied.

Of the total women police personnel, there were eight Director General of Police (DGP) and Special DGP; 37 Additional DGP; 31 Inspector General of Police; 54 Deputy Insector General; 368 Inspector General of Police/Senior Superintendent of Police/Superintendent of Police/Commandant; 269 Additional SP/Deputy Commandant; 908 ASP/Deputy SP/Assistant Commandant; 3,680 Inspectors; 13,146 Sub-Inspectors; 6052 Assistant Sub-Inspectors; 20,196 Head Constables; 1,80,685 Constables and 20,669 women personnel on other duties till January 1 last year.

Asked about the number of Mahila Police stations currently and before 2014 in the country, Rai shared another data compiled by the BPR&D, which shows that a total of 745 women police station exist as on January 1 last year across the country. The number remained at 518 till January 1, 2014.

Of the total 745 women police stations across the country, maximum of 202 are in Tamil Nadu, 77 in Uttar Pradesh, 52 in Madhya Pradesh, 48 in West Bengal, 41 in Rajasthan, 40 in Bihar, 39 in Gujarat, 36 in Karnataka and 33 in Jharkhand. There is no any women police station in Lakshadweep, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and one each in Goa, Assam, Mizoram, Chandigarh and Ladakh.