Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh (UT). Delhi, Madhya Pradesh,
      Gujarat, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Mizoram. Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Odhisa, Uttar
      Pradesh, Meghalaya, Haryana, Nagaland, West Bengal, Sikkim and Meghalaya.
      Panic Button on Mobile Phones
            To provide emergency response to women in distress, MWCD had taken up the installation
      of physical panic button on mobile phones. Based on extensive stakeholder consultations
      initiated by the Ministry the ‘Panic Button and Global Positioning System in Mobile Phone
      Handsets Rules, 2016’ have been notified by the Department of Telecommunications. Under
      these rules, all new feature phones will have the facility of panic button configured to the
      numeric key 5 or 9 and all smart phones will have it configured to three times short pressing of
      the on-off button. Further, all new mobile phones will be required to have the facility of
      identifying the location through satellite based OPS. An Emergency Response Support System
      (ERSS) is also being set up under Nirbhaya Fund in collaboration with MHA, which will
      integrate all emergency numbers to 112 with state-of-art technology to respond to distress signals
      sent from panic button.
      Mahila Police Volunteers
            The broad mandate of Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) is to report to authorities/police the
      incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry
      harassment and violence faced by women in public spaces. Haryana has become the first state to
      operationalise the Mahila Police Volunteers scheme. It was launched jointly by the WCD
      Ministry and Haryana government in 2016 for the districts of Karnal and Mahendragarh in the
      state. Other states are expected to follow the same soon.
      Reservation for Women in Police Force
            The WCD Ministry has been working along with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve
      overall police responsiveness to gender sensitive cases and to bring visibility to more women and
      strengthen gender sensitivity in police force. An advisory has been issued to all state
      governments to increase representation of women in police to 33 per cent of the total strength.
      As a result, reservation has been extended in 14 states/union territories. So far 8 states viz.,
      Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and 6 UTs
      namely Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Lakhadweep and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, NCT Delhi,
      Puducherry have aleady extended such reservation.
      Inclusion of Acid Attack as Disability
            Taking note of the long lasting damage or disfigurement on the life of a person attacked
      with acid as well as constant medical attention, MWCD requested Ministry of Social Justice and
      Empowerment to include acid attack induced damage or disfigurement within the list of specified
      disabilities. The recently enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 notified in 2016,
      included acid attack as a kind of disability. Acid attack victims can now avail disability benefits.
      Guidelines for Matrimonial Websites
            In view of the increasing number of crimes committed against women on the account of
      information shared in matrimonial websites, it was decided to look into the issue and put in place
      a regulatory framework in order to check this misuse. The Ministry has already carried out