Hey,
Today, we wrap up our investigative series by following the money — because when it comes to government misdeeds, the real story is always in the numbers.
We kicked off an investigative series on Monday, with Tapasya diving into two of India’s most critical women’s safety schemes. These were launched in response to the 2012 Nirbhaya case and later repackaged under the Mission Shakti scheme introduced by the Narendra Modi government — aimed at helping and protecting women in distress.
The government insists that all is well, but our investigation paints a different picture.
Tapasya dug into exclusive government documents and travelled across two states to expose how these schemes were systematically weakened under Mission Shakti.
In this final part, we uncover how the government’s fiscal plans aimed to suffocate these safety programs, including the women’s helpline, now reduced to a shadow of its former self. Even more startling is the hidden NITI Aayog report that flagged these failures long ago. We’ve made it public for the first time.
Catch up on the earlier parts about the One Stop Centres and the Women Helpline here.
It’s not easy for a small team like ours to pull off these in-depth investigations. Bigger organisations often avoid it because it doesn’t always sit well with those in power. But we do it because that’s our promise to you. If you can, please consider donating and share our work with your friends and family. Your support is what keeps us going!
Furquan Ameen,
Editor, The Collective