Bhopal: The state home department, while working out the modalities for higher aid to women under the MP Crime Victim Compensation Fund Scheme, 2015, is mulling a proposal to include male victims as well in the scheme.
In accordance with compensation guidelines prepared by the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), state governments are required to revise aid offered to women victims of crime after every few years.
An officer from the home ministry, wishing anonymity, said the revision process had started last year, but with the change of guard after Assembly polls and Kamal Nath coming to power, a review of the same is being done as sought by the department of law.
When asked about the proposal to include men in the scheme, he said it was being looked into, while adding the move would lead to an added burden on the state exchequer.
Following the gang rape and subsequent death of a medical student in 2012 in the national capital that had led to nationwide outrage, the Centre had set up the Nirbhaya fund in 2013 and disbursed funds to states with an initial corpus of Rs 1,000 crore.
However non-utilisation of funds by the state governments had drawn massive criticism that forced the Union government to set up the Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) in 2015. As part of the scheme, Madhya Pradesh received Rs 21.8 crore in 2015.
Recently, after the Supreme Court called for a hike in the compensation for victims, the central government asked NALSA to compile a report on the same. Accordingly, the states are required to revise their compensation brackets in line with the recommendations of the survey.
At present, Madhya Pradesh has a provision of paying Rs 4 lakh in case of death of an earning member in any crime and Rs 2 lakh for a non-earning member and if the crime leads to 100% disability, the compensation would be Rs 3 lakh for an earning member of a family and Rs 1.5 lakh for a non-earning member.
In case a woman loses foetus in any attack, she would be given Rs 50,000, while a gang-rape victim is eligible for compensation up to Rs 3 lakh and free treatment and in cases of sexual assault on minors, the compensation be Rs 2 lakh and free treatment and so on.
Once the revised proposals come into effect, the compensation in case of death would be up to Rs 5 to 10 lakh, similar provision for gang rape victims, up to Rs 4 to 7 lakh in case of rape, up to Rs 4 to 7 lakh if the victim was subjected to unnatural sex and Rs 2 to 5 lakh in case of permanent disability and so on.
Home Department Secretary Md Shahid Absar said the revised scheme is at its final stage and would soon be forwarded to the CM’s Office for approval. He, however, refused to divulge much on the idea to include male victims of crime in the scheme.
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