The State Cabinet on Tuesday increased the compensation to victims of sexual assault from ₹3 lakh to ₹10 lakh after the Bombay High Court slammed the government for its flawed execution of the Manodhairya Yojana.
Of the total amount, 75% would be set aside as Fixed Deposit in the victim’s name, while the remaining 25% will be handed over immediately as a cheque.
The Cabinet also vested the District Legal Service Authority with the responsibility of sanctioning the compensation. Earlier, the sanctioning authority was a district-level relief and rehabilitation board under the district collector. The changes will be applicable to cases registered since December 31, 2009. Last month, The Hindu had exposed how the scheme failed to provide compensation to victims at the district level.
Vineeta Singhal, Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, said, “The scheme came into being in 2013 and since then we have witnessed its implementation. We realised that certain modifications had to be made to the scheme.
“The yojana is not only about providing one-time help to the victims but also to help them get back on their feet with dignity. The monetary compensation has been increased and depositing a major portion in the bank will help the victim draw a fixed amount every month.”
Ms. Singhal added that the department recognised that only the evidence on record had to be assessed while granting the compensation. She said, “The people in legal business know the technicalities and we thought it was important to hand over the responsibility of providing compensation to a statutory body at district level.”
