Delhi women helpline gets 2.53 lakh calls in FY26, up 12 pc from previous year: Eco survey

Delhi government received more than 2.53 lakh calls on its Women in Distress helpline number in the current financial year (FY), about 12 per cent rise from the previous year, indicating increased awareness and access to support services.

This was mentioned in the Delhi Economic Survey 2025-26 presented by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the Assembly on Monday.

The survey said the 181 helpline, which provides round-the-clock support to women affected by violence in both private and public spaces, had received over 2.53 lakh calls in 2025-26 till January.

It stated that 2.25 lakh calls were handled during 2024-25, reflecting increased awareness and access to support services. The helpline offers crisis intervention, counselling, referral and guidance, the report said.

According to the survey, 11 Sakhi One Stop Centres assisted 6,945 beneficiaries in 2023-24 and 11,785 in 2024-25. In the ongoing financial year, 9,832 women had been assisted till January.

Highlighting child welfare measures, the report said 687 anganwadi centres (AWCs) had been co-located in government school buildings by January.

The survey said co-location helps in the smooth transition of children from pre-school to primary education and enhances coordination between anganwadi workers and school teachers, contributing to better developmental outcomes.

It added that all 10,897 functional AWCs are registered on the Poshan Tracker, covering around 6.73 lakh beneficiaries, comprising 57,306 pregnant women, 66,715 lactating mothers and 5.49 lakh children aged 0-6 years. Of the 6.73 lakh beneficiaries, 99.98 per cent are Aadhaar-verified, and about 96.83 per cent are mobile-verified as of February 25.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, 92,670 beneficiaries have been recorded so far against a target of 89,000 in 2025-26; of which 81,767 have been successfully enrolled. Over 1.1 lakh instalments amounting to Rs 34.43 crore have been disbursed under the scheme, the report said.

The survey also mentioned that three flats of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board have been allotted to anganwadi centres on a lease basis for social work.

Among other initiatives, it said guidelines for recreation centres for senior citizens are under process, and around 300 street plays were conducted across 64 identified drug hotspots to spread awareness.

It added that training-cum-production centres and shelter workshops at Tahirpur are operational to provide vocational training to leprosy patients in trades such as weaving, shoe-making and candle-making.