In a move to improve the safety of women in the country, the government of India has announced that all mobile phones will come with panic buttons from 1 January 2017.
The Women and Child Development Ministry has already discussed about the feasibility of introducing a ‘panic button’ in mobile phones with the manufacturers. As a result of these hectic negotiations carried out by the government this facility would be introduced in old smartphones too.
How Will It Work?
Neither the government nor the manufacturers have revealed any details about the functioning of the ‘panic button’ as of now, but it would work in a way similar to what most of the women safety apps do.
Basically, the phone would send out a distress signal to the preassi gned contacts (friends or family), including the user’s current location in the text. In case of emergency the user can long-press a combination of certain of keys to send out a panic signal to his/her close ones.
Older Phones Are Also Supported
All new phones launched in the country would have this functionality out-of-the-box. People having older phones can get the same functionality by downloading a software themselves or by visiting the manufacturer’s service centres.
“We are working towards a software that can be downloaded which will have the same function as the panic button. For those with ordinary handsets, we are talking to manufacturers so that the user can go to a service centre and get the application for free”, the official said.
According to the reports, Nirbhaya Fund, which was setup by the then Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, would be involved in this project. The fund would also be used for ventures associated with enhancing the safety and security of the women in the country.
“This is one of the key projects that will be funded through the Nirbhaya fund set up by the UPA government,” a source mentioned.
It took our government more than 3 years to announce the implementation of such a project for women safety. But at least, we are going in the right direction.
