Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched India’s all-in-one emergency helpline number ‘112’ in 16 states and Union Territories. To provide immediate assistance to services like police (100), fire (101), health (108), women’s safety (1090) and child protection, the government has provided the 112 emergency helpline number which is an all-in-one helpline number.
The emergency number has been launched in 16 states, it will gradually be extended to other states as well. Firstly, 112 was launched in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Rajnath Singh said, “The helpline number ‘112’ will be activated across the country by next year and anyone in distress can reach the helpline by pressing a single key of phones which will be pre-programmed.”
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi had also launched the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and Safe City Implementation Monitoring portal as part of the women safety initiatives.
Unique features of ‘112’ emergency helpline number:
Panic call activation:
- For smartphones: To activate a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre (ERC), in any emergency situation, you need to press the power button three times quickly on your smartphones.
- For normal phones: Through your normal phones, you need to long press number ‘5’ or ‘9’ to activate a panic call.
Emergency complaints can be logged online:
One can file online complaints by logging on to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) website. The website allows you to send an emergency mail or send SOS alert to the Emergency Report Centre.
‘112 India’ mobile app:
A ‘112 India’ mobile app was also launched on Android’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store by the Ministry of Home Affairs. It provides a special ‘SHOUT’ feature for women and children, which alerts registered volunteers close to the victim for immediate assistance.
States where 112 has been launched:
The 16 states and Union Territories of India where the all-in-one emergency helpline single emergency has been launched are:
- Andhra Pradesh
- Andaman
- Dadar and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Gujarat
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Kerala
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Puducherry
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Telangana
- Tamil Nadu
- Uttarakhand
- Uttar Pradesh
