New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday doubled the Nirbhaya fund to Rs. 2,000 crore from Rs. 1,000 crore.
"My Government is committed to safety and security of women. In order to support programmes for women security, advocacy and awareness, I have decided to provide another 1,000 crore to the Nirbhaya Fund," Jaitley said while presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha.
The Rs.1,000 crore Nirbhaya Fund had been announced in 2013 by the Congress-led UPA government for the empowerment, safety and security of women and girl child.
It was created in the memory of a young woman who died after being brutally gang raped in a moving bus in Delhi Dec 16, 2012, leading to protests in different parts of the country over the abysmal state of women's safety.