Govt plans 250 cr fund for rape victims

NEW DELHI: While there can hardly be any compensation for the trauma of a rape victim, the Centre is set to introduce a scheme to provide monetary relief to victims of rape and is likely to earmark a corpus of Rs 250 crore for the purpose.
The Planning Commission is expected to give its nod to a proposal formulated by the National Commission for Women which has provisions for giving monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to victims of rape.
The scheme, framed after a Supreme Court order, proposes setting up of a national-level criminal injuries compensation board.
It will be assisted by state monitoring committees and district level committees to be headed by the area collector or district magistrate. This will ensure due process is followed for victims.
Any rape victim or her legal heir can apply to the board for relief. The board will be required to release Rs 20,000 as interim relief to the victim while it studies the case to decide on the final compensation amount.
The board will also take into account pain, suffering and shock as well as loss of earning due to pregnancy and expense of child birth if it occurs as a result of rape.