Patna: The Bihar government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is set to launch the ‘Nidar Nari’ project, aimed at ensuring that women across the state can travel safely at any time of day or night. This initiative, which begins on September 5 as a pilot project in six districts, is designed to provide women with a 24-hour safe travel facility, making Bihar the third state in India to offer such a service.
The ‘Nidar Nari’ project will initially be rolled out in Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, and Muzaffarpur. Under this scheme, women simply need to dial 112 before leaving their homes. Once they do, a police team will track their journey to ensure their safety until they reach their destination. The service will be expanded to the entire state from September 15, following feedback from the initial districts.
Technical Services and Wireless Additional Director General (ADG) Nirmal Kumar Azad and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Anil Kumar Pandey shared details about the project. They emphasized that upon receiving a call on Dial 112, the police would arrive at the caller’s location within 10-15 minutes. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will provide technical support for the project.
The initiative, launched with the upcoming festival season in mind, aims to address the increased movement of women during events such as Durga Puja, Diwali, and Chhath. “Women often travel late at night to go shopping during festivals. We want them to feel safe even when they’re outside the house,” said ADG Azad. He also mentioned that the police would collect feedback from women after they reach their destination to continuously improve the service.
Since its inception in Bihar in 2022, Dial 112 has been a critical lifeline for residents, offering emergency police assistance, fire brigade, and ambulance services. The hotline receives approximately 6,000 calls daily from across the state, with women accounting for 25% of these calls. To date, over 2 million people have been assisted through Dial 112, and the service aims to help an additional 1.5 million people this year.
Bihar’s ‘Nidar Nari’ project follows similar initiatives in Haryana, where it was introduced in 2023, and Telangana, where it started in 2024. With 1,833 vehicles at its disposal, the Bihar police are committed to ensuring that women across both urban and rural areas of the state can travel without fear.
