Police tie up with UNDFW to run counselling centres

PUNE: Maharashtra police have joined hands with United Nation Development Fund For Women (UNDFW) to bring professionalism in running counselling centres for women and children victims of atrocities in the state.
The police signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UNDFW in this regard recently. As per the memorandum, the state will receive a grant of Rs 20 lakh from UNDFW for the next three years to run these centres, which were launched on an experimental basis with the help of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
Deputy inspector-general of police (women''s cell) Prabhat Ranjan told this paper on Saturday that three of the counselling centres were in Mumbai — at Dadar, Kandivali and Mumbai police commissionerate."More such centres will be soon opened in Pune at the commissioner''s office, Yavatmal, Aurangabad, Nanded, at the additional chief secretary''s office, in Navi Mumbai, in Wardha and Jalgaon, which tops from the state in crimes against women," he revealed.
Selection of social workers for counselling will be done with the help of TISS officials, Ranjan said, adding that dedicated social workers with an understanding of human psychology, legal matters and medical knowledge were needed for the job.
TISS social worker in Mumbai Trupti Panchal corroborated. She said the state government was planning to open a cell each at all the 960 police stations in the state if the existing centres prove effective. "This will also create job opportunities for social workers as at least two social workers will be required at each centre," she added, pointing out that there were about 40 institutions in the state running social work courses.
TISS social worker from Pune Ranjana Gaikwad said the city also required a counselling cell urgently as two to three cases of atrocities against women are registered here every day. "Director-general of police Subhash Chandra Malhotra has already issued orders in this regard," she said.