Now, only one emergency helpline number for all purpose, dial 112
New Delhi : India has launched its single emergency helpline number '112' for various services like police, fire and women safety. By dialling this number, people in need will get immediate assistance, irrespective of distance and location.
The emergency number is launched under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). ERSS will solve the problem to remember multiple numbers. Till date, there are helpline numbers like for police its 100, fire station its 101, health its 108 and women its 1090. But, now, there will be single number '112' for all kind of emergencies.
In terms of women safety, Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched various initiatives in New Delhi. These services will be made available in 16 states and Union Territories (UTs), and Mumbai city with effect from today. The 16 states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry statement said. The service has been already launched in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
The home minister also launched the investigation tracking system for sexual offences (ITSSO) and the safe city implementation monitoring (SCIM) portal. The ITSSO is meant for law enforcement agencies in the country. The SCIM portal will instil a sense of security in women in metro cities.
Important points about emergency services in India
- To access the emergency services, a person can dial '112' on a phone or press the power button of a smartphone three times quickly to send a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre (ERC).
- In case of a normal phone, a long press of the '5' or '9' keys will activate the panic call function.
- People can also log on to the ERSS' website for the state and lodge emergency email or send an SOS alert to the state ERC.
- The '112' India mobile app will also be available free on the Google Playstore and Apple store.
