AP Pushing Centre for Enactment of Two Bills on Women: Taneti Vanitha

Vijayawada: AP home minister Taneti Vanitha has assured the AP Legislative Council that the state government is making all efforts to get President’s assent for the AP Disha Act-Criminal Law (amendment) 2019 and the AP Special Courts for special offences against women and children 2019 legislations.

The minister said during Question Hour on Monday that the state received a series of queries from the Union home ministry on various matters like the provisions for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

“Our government wants more safety and security to girls and women and felt the need for stringent punishment and speedy trial by setting up special courts. Some provisions in the POSCO Act were adopted and others altered to suit AP’s needs. The Union home ministry is seeking clarifications on such provisions.”

Responding to a question on the long delay in getting both the bills cleared in Delhi after its passage in the AP legislature, the home minister said the state government was making serious efforts to get the President’s assent for the two bills.

With regard to crime rate, the minister said the number of murder cases came down by 14 per cent from 2019 to 2022. Some 286 murders took place in 2019 while 239 in 2022.

Similarly, dowry deaths came down by seven per cent from 112 in 2019 to 100 in 2022. However, cases booked under provisions of POSCO Act other than rape registered an increase by 14 per cent from 782 in 2019 to 1,412 in 2022. This is because cases are filed against all the guilty so as to ensure justice to the victims, she said.

As for the Disha app, the home minister said 1.43 crore downloads were done in the state so far and nearly 10.80 lakh girls and women availed the app. Some 2,723 FIRs were registered in addition to nearly 1,500 girls and women availing the facility and saving themselves from trouble, she said.