Mahila Suraksha Dal still on paper

 A women commando force for security of women in city – the Mahila Surkasha Dal (MSD) is still on paper. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had promised to set it up on its forming government in the capital. 

Sources confirmed the file has not been sent to the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung for approval yet.

Launched with ‘much hype’ by the former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in January this year, the MSD’s file is lying in the office of the chief secretary Sanjay Kumar Srivastava.


The officials concerned are also sceptical about seeking budgetary allocation for the MSD, as it requires hiring of retired security personnel.

“The idea is to hire a lot of retired security personnel in this parallel force and they will be deployed on demand of citizens of the area. The plan is launch recruitment for all 272 municipal wards of Delhi. This will require a lot of money,” said a senior Delhi government official.

Sources said the finance department has staring preparing for Delhi’s budget and if no government came about in the city before May end, the finance department has to table the vote on account in the Parliament to get is passed. Delhi has got a budget till September 2014 in the last vote on account (interim budget). A senior official at the Lt Governor’s secretariat said, “No file regarding clearance to Mahila Surkasha Dal has been received yet. The LG will give his nod only when the government officials send the file to his secretariat.”

Kejriwal had constituted a committee to submit its report on MSD by February 15, but a day before the report could have been submitted to him, he resigned from his post as the Jan Lokpal Bill could be tabled in the House.

The chief secretary, principal secretary (home department), director general of home guards and director of women and child development department were appointed as the members of the committee. Later the committee was expanded to 13 members and two retired IAS officials were also inducted.

The Delhi cabinet had approved setting up of this committee and said that all the expenses will be borne by the Delhi government.