The following is the press statement issued by the All India Democratic Women’s Association on November 29. AS reported in the press, the prime minister’s office has shot down the one stop crisis centre project of WCD which was to provide medical, legal, police and emergency services to survivors in distress under one roof. The centres were proposed one at each district costing Rs 200 crores in total. The PMO has come out with the argument that the scheme was unnecessary and services should be provided through existing infrastructure. AIDWA strongly criticises this move of PMO. The project was conceived in the aftermath of Nirbhaya case on the recommendation of Justice Verma Committee after considering the inadequacy of existing infrastructure to immediately address the needs of survivors appropriately. Women’s organisations everyday note with pain the present position of the survivors running from pillar to post in a most demeaning and humiliating manner which adds insult to injury and prevents many women from approaching these institutions. The way FIRs are registered, cases are pursued, standard operating procedures followed and victims are treated is pathetic. In fact more schemes to provide shelter, protection, legal aid and redressal to vulnerable sections like women from Dalit and Adivasi communities in rural areas too are required. AIDWA will soon get in touch with other women organisations and the PMO’s decision will be opposed collectively including on the floor of Parliament.