Indian Railways to launch a safety app for women

Women travelling in trains can now contact police in a distressful situation at the click of a button. In the wake of the Uber Rape incident, Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu has directed CRIS, the IT arm of the Ministry of Railways, to develop a mobile application for women. The app will ensure the safety of women passengers travelling alone on trains as it will allow them to immediately report any incident that takes place inside the train.

The Railway minister is also contemplating the installation of CCTV cameras inside the train as a preventive measure. According to a report by ET Now, he said, "I want CCTV on the passage of train compartments so that movement of suspicious character can be spotted and it will not be an intrusion of privacy of passengers."

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Minister Prabhu added, “Women safety is not only Railways’ but entire society’s concern. As Railway Minister it is my serious concern. We are planning to make an app operational for women passengers. If a woman passenger touched the App then the RPF or GRP will immediately get the information and prompt action can be taken. Station Masters will also get the alert message,” according to a report by The New Indian Express.

Other efforts are also being made by the minister to improve the quality of train travel. These include setting up of Wi-Fi networks at train stations and installing bio-toilets to improve hygienic condition at rail premises. He also said that Railways will be using science and technology to improve the quality and provide better facilities to its passengers.