told mobile phone manufacturers they need to incorporate a panic button on
handsets
sold in the country. The administration is of the view that emergency
response apps can
take too long to access in a rush— configuring one of the
existing buttons on a phone
for the task would be much simpler and quicker.
Women and child development
ministerManeka Gandhi told
ET that handset makers were amenable to the suggestion.
"The first round
of talks has been done and I have been told that they (manufacturers)
have
agreed in principle," she said.
To make it child-proof or prevent accidental operation, the button will require
a long
press or a double press.
The action will send an SMS to a set of numbers that will also provide location
information.
With Modi pushing for the change, the ministries of communications
and women
and child development have been working in tandem on the proposal.
A meeting involving all stakeholders, including handset makers, was held two
weeks ago
to thrash out initial details. The meeting was attended by
secretaries of the two
ministries and representatives of about a dozen mobile
manufacturing companies,
both local and foreign. Another meeting is scheduled
to be held this month by ministry
officials with the design and technical wings
of the mobile companies.
"Initially, there was resistance on a couple of issues, namely on the
expenditure to be
incurred and the design of the handsets," said a senior
ministry official who didn't want
to be named. "The move was also resisted
on the ground that there are apps available in
the market for the same. The
manufacturers were told that pressing a button which will be
on the body of the
phone is much easier and time saving than accessing an app in
a moment of
trouble."
Though there was "initial resistance" from a few of the companies,
they later agreed in
principle to the demand, officials told ET. Rather than
going to the police, the SMS
will be sent to a 'panic response team' chosen by
each user.
"Keeping in view various constraints including the understaffed police
department,
it was thought prudent to send the alerts to family than
police," the official said.
"An overwhelming view of the
manufacturers was that the facility can be provided
even in basic phones."
Hari Om Rai, co-founder of handset maker Lava International, said the
company didn't
see any problem with the implementing the change. "I have
not applied my mind yet as
it is a product-level job," he said. "But
I am sure if desired it can be easily done without
any difficulty."
Company product head Naveen Chawla added, "Everybody agreed that
the issue
merits serious concern. Agreeing in principle, the companies have gone back,
only to return with the technology vide which the panic button can be made
available on
all phones."
The initiative was kicked off with Gandhi writing to communications
minister
in this regard.
"Hon'ble Prime Minister had recently mentioned that it is desirable to
have a
'panic button' on all mobile phone handsets so that a women user can
access
help in times of distress," she said in her letter, which ET has
seen. "I understand
that there are a number of apps available for this
purpose but in a situation of distress,
particularly in situations where women
are facing acts of violence, it is not possible to
launch an app and access
help." She said the solution lay in a button that can be
operated without
having to first unlock the phone.
"I further feel that different countries/societies/users will have
different reasons for
having this panic button but in the Indian context it is
important for the purpose of
women's safety," she wrote.
Gandhi urged "early action" in her letter and the first meeting was
held less than a
fortnight later. The minister said that her ministry had
received several suggestions
from various quarters on the matter, including
special finger rings, bracelets and
necklaces that could be used by women to
send SOS messages.
While it appears that the mobile phone makers have been won over by gentle
persuasion,
one official pointed out that the government has the wherewithal to
make the measure
compulsory. "If the need arises, the provision to make it
mandatory for mobile companies
is available with the government," said a
senior official.
ET View:
Ensure last-mile
connectivity
Having a single-touch emergency system is a muchneeded, great idea. But as with
every great technologydriven public utility system, a 'panic button' is as good
as
its last-mile connectivity. What will make this more than a '100' number is
not just
its single-step procedure but also the GPS-enabled system bringing the
nearest
lawenforcers to the location without the usual layers of human
participation. Which
means the right people will have to respond swiftly and
correctly to the panic beacon.
Which, in turn, means training police personnel
to respond to the system accordingly.
