‘Central government doesn’t listen to anyone’: Rahul Gandhi points out functional issues with women OSC

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday pointed out issues related to the Centre’s One Stop Center (OSC), which aims to support women affected by violence, and claimed that “the Modi government is not listening to anyone”.Gandhi asserted that security is not just a plan; This is the basic responsibility of the government.“Women are arriving seeking help, but the government is closing these doors. I asked in Parliament: When a woman escapes violence and reaches the One Stop Center (OSC), why does she not get help? Why does she find the door locked? Why is there a shortage of staff? Why are complaints across the country not being heard?” Gandhi posted on his WhatsApp channel.“What has been the government’s response? Everything has been ‘satisfactory’. If everything is indeed ‘satisfactory’, then why do reports about OSC issues keep popping up?” he said.Gandhi asked why, if safety is the top priority, help is still not available for three out of five women.“Why only 60 paise out of every Rs 100 allocated to the Ministry of Women and Child Development is spent on OSC?” said the former Congress president.“Security is not just a scheme; it is a fundamental responsibility of the government. Treating everything as ‘satisfactory’ does not ensure security; it only shows that the Modi government is not listening to anyone,” Gandhi said.Addressing a question in the Lok Sabha on March 27, Gandhi asked whether many OSCs are still under lockdown and are not functioning properly/not functioning round the clock as per regulations and if so, please provide details; the number of women seeking assistance and shelter from OSCs in each state and year in the past five years and the number of cases of crime against women registered.He also asked about the number of operational OSCs and newly opened OSCs in each state and year in the last five years; and details of the funds released/utilized for OSCs during the said period (state-wise and year-wise), stating the reasons for under-utilization.He further asked for details of sanctioned and filled posts in the OSC, including administrative staff, caseworkers, counsellors, medical officers and police officers in various states; whether the ministry reviewed complaints of mismanagement/violation of operational codes, if any, details and the action taken.In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said the OSC is an integral part of the Sambal vertical under the Mission Shakti framework and provides comprehensive and immediate support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and women in distress, be it in private or public spaces “It provides services such as medical assistance, legal aid and counselling, temporary shelter, police assistance and psychosocial counseling to women in need. Since its inception, from April 1, 2015 to December 31, 2025, more than 1.337 million women in the country have received assistance. ” she said, sharing details of the state and UT aspects of OSC.The minister said the overall implementation of the OSC scheme rests with the state government and the UT administration.Thakur said, “Two third-party evaluations of the ministry’s schemes, including the Mission Shakti Umbrella scheme and its components related to One Stop Centers (OSCs), have been conducted through NITI Aayog in 2020 and 2025. The study found the relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of the scheme to be satisfactory,” Thakur said.