“911, what’s your emergency?” How many times have we heard this line in American sitcoms and movies? India may soon get its own 911 — one number for all emergencies.

Women and other vulnerable groups facing increasing violence are set to get some breather as the Government plans to set up an integrated computer-aided dispatch system to bolster its emergency response system.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its nod to this proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

“This system can subsequently be migrated to a single central emergency response number in the future,” an official statement said on Wednesday. This project, which would get funding from the Nirbhaya Fund, is intended to ensure speedy assistance to individuals in distress and danger.

Under this project, the Department of Information Technology will work with device makers to introduce panic buttons in mobile phones or landline phones that can trigger emergency alarms. Since mobile phones come with their own GPS monitors, these devices can then be tracked by the emergency response teams.

The project would involve an expenditure of ₹321.69 crore, which includes a one-time cost of ₹204.25 crore, recurring expenditure for five years of ₹102.12 crore and expenses for the central monitoring and evaluation project management unit of about ₹15.32 crore.

The Government aims to provide 24X7 helpline service related to other emergency needs as well, such as medical emergency or disasters, such as fire. Further, this would also be integrated with the Dial 100 system (for police).

The project, which will be implemented in stages over nine months.

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