Twenty states and Union territories have so far joined a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number ”112” on which immediate assistance can be sought by anyone in distress, officials said Friday.
The ”112” helpline is an integration of police (100), fire (101) and women (1090) helpline numbers and the project is being implemented under the central government’s Nirbhaya Fund.
The single number for emergency services is similar to ”911” in the United States.
The 20 states and UTs include Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland, a Home Ministry official said.
The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) envisages a single pan-India emergency number ”112”, which is an internationally recognised number, to target all types of emergencies.
A panic button is already provided on all mobile phones, which on activation will trigger an emergency call to ”112”. The Emergency Response Centre (ERCs), being set up by the States and UTs, can receive panic signal via voice call to ”112”, email requests on state ERSS website or the ”112” mobile app, the official said.
Location based tracking of victim can be done through location based services of all phones or even more accurately through GPS for smart phones.
The ”112” India app provides for ”shout facility” designed especially for women, for enlisting support of volunteers, who have registered themselves with the state police, for emergency response.
To access emergency services, a person can dial ”112” on a phone or press the power button of a smart phone three times quickly to send a panic call to the Emergency Response Centre.
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