Nagaland Becomes the First State in the North-East to have an Emergency Response Support System

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday inaugurated Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) in the presence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio at PHQ Kohima. Nagaland is the first State amongst the North-Eastern States to commence this project, he informed.

The ERSS has three components- Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to function 24×7, vehicles fitted with MDT to act as first responder and 122 APP- a mobile app integrated with a panic button in mobile phones for availing immediate assistance.

Inaugurating the system, Singh congratulated the people of Nagaland, the Nagaland Government especially the Nagaland Police, officials from MHA, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Department of Telecommunication, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) & all other stakeholders instrumental in launching the ERSS.

Stressing on the importance of the for facilitating for the participation of women in all developmental activities, Singh also said,“We know that half of the country’s population is of women. The country in which women are safe is strong and no one can stop the development of that country.

The Home Minister further said that to ensure safety and security of women, Government of India have taken various initiatives including a dedicated Women Safety Division, amendment of relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, updating forensic laboratories and Fast Track Courts to deal with sexual assault related cases. Singh said that a portal has been launched for National Database on sexual offenders and cyber crime.

In may be mentioned that a PAN India 24×7 helpline number 112 was also being launched on the occasion.

Under the ERSS project, people will be able to receive immediate assistance from Police, Health and Fire Departments as well as from other agencies using a pan-India single emergency number 112, the Home Minister said. ‘112’ is an internationally recognized emergency number already inbuilt in mobile phone.

To further strengthen & ensuring the safety of women, a SHOUT feature has been made available exclusively for women in ‘112 India’ mobile app. Using the feature, women in distress will able to seek immediate assistance from nearby registered volunteers as well as from the Emergency Response Center (ERC).

This app upon activation will assist the First Responders in locating & tracking the woman in distress using GPS for effective response, Singh said. He said that an ERC has been setup in Kohima and 3 District Command Centers to offer this unified emergency service.

Response Vehicles have been fitted with Mobile Data terminals (MDTs). On receipt of the SOS, the ERC can dispatch the nearest vehicle for assistance.

“This system also utilizes Location Based Services to assist ERC in locating the distress caller for immediate assistance in case of emergency,” Singh said.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his address said that the project has been implemented in Kohima, Dimapur & Mokokchung and will be launched soon in the remaining districts. he also added that the app is available in the App store of Google & Apple and citizens can easily download it and use it.

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