‘Meri Saheli’ – Making Rail Travel Safer for Women

Bhubaneswar: In alignmentwith the Hon’ble Prime Minister’svision of empowering women, theMinistry of Railways has undertakenvarious initiatives to enhance thetravel experience for women acrossthe Indian Railways network. Theseefforts primarily focus on ensuring the safety and security of femalepassengers. One such notableinitiative is ‘Meri Saheli,’ which hasbeen introduced by the RailwayProtection Force (RPF) with theprimary objective of ensuring
safe journeys for women,especially those traveling aloneor with children in selected longdistance trains.’Meri Saheli’ teams ensure safetyof women travelers throughout theirtrain journey, from the point oforigin to their final destination byresponding swiftly to any situationthat may arise during the journey ofwomen passengers. Currently, morethan 230 dedicated “Meri Saheli”teams consisting of female RPFpersonnel have been deployed atvarious railway stations across thecountry, covering over 400 trainsand providing assistance to morethan fourteen thousand femalepassengers on an average each day.This underscores the dedication andeffectiveness of the initiative in
making train travel safer forwomen across India. These teamsplay a vital role in educatingpassengers about security measuresto be taken during their journey andprovide information about theavailable channels for seeking
assistance in case of distress.’Meri Saheli’ teams are wellequippedwith modern gadgets andtechnology. The support of technology enhances their capabilities, and makes their workeasier, faster and more effective. AnIT application called ‘Meri Saheli’module auto populates data ofwomen travelling alone in identified trains in the computer tabs withthese teams. The module monitorsinteraction with women passengersat boarding and en-route stations. It
records feedback of passengers atdestination station which is usedto improve this initiative. ‘MeriSaheli’ has become a symbol of progress towards creating a secureand inclusive railway environment for all.Women in distress find it easierto confide in women rather thanmen. Therefore, lady RPF personnelplay a pivotal role in ensuring security of women in trains. Railway Protection Force is proud to havethe highest percentage of women(9%) in its ranks among all CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPF).Newly recruited women are being inducted into ‘Meri Saheli’ teams to
enhance their effectiveness. The RPF ladies not only provide security to women train passengers, but help
women passengers in distress. Many women are forced to undertake train journeys in advance stage of
pregnancy and some of them goin to labour while traveling. RPF hasprovided assistance in 130 such cases
of childbirth on trains or railwaypremises during the current year sofar. The work by RPF under”Operation Matrishakti” byAssistant Sub Inspector, RPF Ms.Shobha Mote, was recognized andappreciated during the prestigiousshow ‘India’s got talent’, the video of which can be viewed on You Tube.

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