Twenty states and Union territories have so far joined a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number ‘112’ on which immediate assistance can be sought by anyone in distress, officials said Friday.
The ‘112’ helpline is an integration of police (100), fire(101) and women (1090) helpline numbers and the project is being implementedunder the central government’s Nirbhaya Fund.
The single number for emergency services is similar to ‘911’in the United States.
The 20 states and UTs include Himachal Pradesh, AndhraPradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and NicobarIslands, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland,a Home Ministry official said.
The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) envisages asingle pan-India emergency number ‘112’, which is an internationally recognisednumber, to target all types of emergencies.