“Govt Ignoring Ground Realities, Says Rahul Gandhi; Raises Concerns Over Functioning of Women’s One-Stop Centres”

NEW DELHI, Apr 5: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday highlighted operational shortcomings in the Centre-run One Stop Centres (OSCs), which are designed to assist women facing violence, alleging that the government is ignoring critical ground-level concerns.

He stressed that ensuring women’s safety goes beyond policy announcements and must be treated as a core duty of governance. According to him, many women seeking urgent support are unable to access timely help at these centres.

In a message shared publicly, Gandhi questioned why several OSCs reportedly remain inaccessible or inadequately staffed despite their mandate to function round-the-clock. He pointed to recurring complaints from across the country, asking why such issues persist if official assessments claim satisfactory performance.

Raising financial concerns, he also questioned the proportion of funds allocated to women-centric schemes, claiming that only a minimal share is being directed toward OSC operations. He further asked why a significant number of women in distress continue to miss out on essential services.

The Congress leader had earlier raised these issues in the Lok Sabha, seeking detailed data on operational centres, staffing levels, utilisation of funds, and the number of beneficiaries over the past five years. He also called for transparency regarding complaints of mismanagement and adherence to operational guidelines.

Responding to the queries, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur stated that OSCs function under the Mission Shakti initiative and provide integrated support, including medical aid, legal assistance, temporary shelter, police help, and counselling services.

She informed that since the scheme’s launch in April 2015, over 13 lakh women have received assistance nationwide. The minister also noted that implementation responsibility lies primarily with state governments and Union Territory administrations.

Citing independent evaluations conducted by NITI Aayog in 2020 and 2025, the government maintained that the scheme has been found effective and sustainable, even as concerns raised by the opposition continue to fuel debate over its on-ground performance.