A single emergency helpline number “112” was launched in 16 states and Union Territories today. The emergency services were earlier launched in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
112 would provide immediate assistance to services like police (100), fire (101), health (108), women safety (1090) and child protection. The emergency number will gradually be extended to other states as well. The single number for emergency services is similar to ”911” in the United States.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while launching the emergency number, said, the central government is committed to the safety of citizens, particularly women, for whom laws were changed to ensure the guilty is punished in a time-bound manner.
“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,” Mr Singh said.
States where 112 emergency number has been launched:
The 16 states and Union Territories are Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir.
Panic call feature on 112 emergency helpline:
There is another unique feature of this helpline. On smart phones, you can press power button three times quickly to activate panic call to Emergency Response Centre (ERC). On normal phones, long press ”5 or ”9” to activate panic call.
Emergency complaints online:
The emergency services can also be accessed online by logging on to Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) website. On the ERSS website, you can either send an emergency email or send SOS alert to Emergency Report Centre (ERC).
People can also log onto the ERSS website for the respective state and send an emergency email or SOS alert to state ERC. They can use ”112” India mobile app, which is available free on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
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