One Stop Centre Scheme: Meaning, Eligibility, Objectives, How To Apply?

If you want to find something on the One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCS) then this is the right place to be. In this blog, we will be talking about One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCS) and explaining to you everything there is to know about the scheme.

The OSC scheme is a part of the National Mission For the Empowerment of Women. In India, gender-based violence is very common. A lot of women have been victims of either abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence.

In 2022, 31,000 complaints of crimes against women were received by National Commission for Women. This number was the highest since 2014. Every day, around 85 women faced violence in 2022.

The OSC scheme aims to help those women in need of medical, legal help or counselling. Let’s understand what the scheme is and how you can apply for the scheme if you want in detail.

What is The One Stop Centre Scheme?

The One Stop Centre Scheme or the OSCS is an effective tool for assisting women suffering from physical, mental, emotional, psychological or sexual abuse anywhere irrespective of their age, education, status, class, caste, etc.

The scheme helps in making sure such violence victims get access to a whole range of services to help them seek redressal and emerge from the pain of a long history of violence, harassment or discrimination they have been experiencing in their lives.

The OSCS is a component of “Sambal” which is a sub-scheme of “Mission Shakti”. Mission Shakti is a mission-mode programme launched to strengthen means of women safety, security and empowerment

Violence against women can be of various types. It includes domestic violence, sexual violence, or other dangerous practices like honour killings, acid attacks, trafficking, forceful abortion, dowry attacks, rapes, and many others.

With the help of OSCS, the victim women can fight for their rights and make the culprits face justice for their wrongdoing.

History of One Stop Centre Scheme

It took quite some time for the Government to come up with the One Stop Centre scheme. Here is a brief history of the scheme that will help you understand it better –

#1. For women’s safety, Nirbhaya Fund was one of the earliest steps taken by the Government. This fund was established in 2013.

#2. The 12th Working Group on Women’s Agency And Empowerment recommended the creation of One-Stop Crisis Centres.

#3. The Usha Mehra Commission gave a report in 2013, stating the need for a One-Stop Centre at a hospital to help sexual assault victims.

#4. Finally, in 2015, the One Stop Centre Scheme was established.

#5. Initially, the scheme was implemented in two phases –

• One OSC per state & UT in Phase I
• Additional 150 OSCs in 2016-17.

#6. As of 2022, there are a total of 704 functional OSCs in the country.

#7. Administration of the scheme –

• At National Level – Ministry of Women & Child Development
• At State Level – Department of Women & Child Development

Details About One Stop Centre Scheme

Here are the essential details about One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCS) that you should look at –

Scheme	One Stop Centre Scheme
Launched In	April 2015
Launched By	Government of India
Funded By	Central Government
Concerned Ministry	Ministry of Women and Child Development
Total One-Stop Centres Established	704 across India (source)
Component of	“Sambal” sub-scheme of Mission Shakti

Objectives of The One Stop Centre Scheme

Here are the major objectives of the One Stop Centre Scheme. If you are preparing for any government examination, these pointers will be useful –

#1. Intends to support and assist women who are victims of violence, be that of any kind – of both private and public sectors in one place, irrespective of where the harassment has occurred – within their house, community or even at their workplace.

#2. To ensure these women receive proper, immediate, emergency or non-emergency support which includes medical, legal, psychological or counselling services.

Eligibility of The One Stop Centre Scheme

As far as the eligibility criteria of the OSCS is concerned, there are no specifics that need to be mentioned.

The services of the OSCS will be open to all women and girls over and under the legal age of 18 who have faced violence, irrespective of their caste, class, status, educational background, religion, region, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Services Offered Under The One Stop Centre Scheme

There is a wide range of services that are offered under the OSCS for violence-affected women. The detailed list can be found here –

#1. Medical Assistance

Medical assistance is the first and most important service that is provided to violence-struck women to ensure their well-being and safety. The victims are sent to the nearest hospital where a medical examination is conducted as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

#2. Emergency Response & Rescue Services

Another primary service provided under the OSC scheme is the response and rescue service. To achieve better results, National Health Mission, 108 service, and police parties, are linked with each other in a more streamlined way to ensure timely support to victims.

#3. Complaint Filing Services

Proper guidance and assistance are ensured to women so that they can file the police report aka FIR / DIR / NCR against the wrongdoers.

#4. Legal Assistance

Legal assistance is one of the most important parts of the whole process. This assistance ensures that women who suffered from violence get access to justice and the culprits get the punishment. To achieve this, the OSC team ensures access to empanelled lawyers or State/District/National level Legal Service Authorities.

The victim woman is given the lawyer of her choice if she wants State Prosecutors to try in her case. The lawyer needs to simplify the legal procedures for her and try to get her exemptions from court hearings.

If the case is related to an offence of rape as defined under section 376, 376A – D IPC, it is the duty of the Prosecutors trying the woman’s case to complete the inquiry within a period of two months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.

#5. Psychological Support / Counselling

As per the guidelines, an experienced counsellor has to be available on call for any psychological or social counselling. This counselling is important in giving the woman support and confidence to fight against the violence she has faced and seek justice.

The Counsellors are expected to follow the code of ethics, guidelines and protocols while providing their counselling services.

#6. Video Conferencing Facility

A Video Conferencing Facility is provided to the aggrieved woman to ensure fast and hassle-free police and court proceedings. The aggrieved woman can even record her statement for court and police via the VC.

The audio and video of the Video Conferencing are used under sections 161(3), 164(1) and 275(1) of Code of Criminal Procedure along with Section 231(1) in line with Order XVIII rule 4 of the Code of Civil Procedures. However, this facility is provided only after a discussion among the Superintendent of Police, District and Session Judges of the concerned district where the incident has taken place.

#7. Shelter Services

Temporary shelter services are provided to the aggrieved woman in case she is unable to find shelter anywhere else. For long-term shelter requirements, arrangements are made with Swadhar Greh or Short Stay Homes that are affiliated with or managed by Government/NGO.

The final call on the admission of the aggrieved woman to the temporary shelter lies with the Centre Administrator.

How To Access The One Stop Centre Scheme?

If you are, or if you know any violence-affected woman who needs the services of the OSC scheme, then here are the ways in which you can access it:

#1. Via herself.

She can go to the One Stop Centres for assistance and lodge complaints.

#2. Via any other person.

This person can be anyone, a philanthropist, a community helper, a friend, a relative, a volunteer, NGO, public servant (as defined under section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860), etc.

#3. Via Women Helpline.

She can use the women helpline number which is already integrated with police, ambulance and other emergency response services for maximum assistance.

As soon as the victim woman lodges a complaint, a text message is sent to the DPO/PO/ CDPO/ SHO/ DM/ SP/ DYSP /CMO /PO of the concerned area/district.

In addition to that, whenever the victim woman or anyone on her behalf approaches the One Stop Centre for the complaint, the case details are registered in a system according to the prescribed format and a distinct ID Number is generated and given to the case.

One Stop Centres In India

One Stop Centres in India support women facing violence in their homes, workplace or anywhere in the community. They intend to support them, and provide them with assistance along with medical and legal help.

As per the records of 2022, there are a total of 704 active One Stop Centres in the country. Here are the state-wise details –

Number	State	Number of OSCs Functional
1.	Andaman and Nicobar (UT)	3
2.	Andhra Pradesh	13
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	24
4.	Assam	33
5.	Bihar	38
6.	Chandigarh (UT)	01
7.	Chhattisgarh	27
8.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (UT)	03
9.	Delhi (UT)	11
10.	Goa	02
11.	Gujrat	33
12.	Haryana	22
13.	Himachal Pradesh	12
14.	Jammu & Kashmir (UT)	20
15.	Jharkhand	24
16.	Karnataka	30
17.	Kerala	14
18.	Lakshadweep (UT)	01
19.	Ladakh (UT)	02
20.	Maharashtra	37
21.	Madhya Pradesh	52
22.	Manipur	16
23.	Meghalaya	11
24.	Mizoram	08
25.	Nagaland	11
26.	Odisha	30
27.	Punjab	22
28.	Puducherry (UT)	04
29.	Rajasthan	33
30.	Sikkim	04
31.	Tamil Nadu	34
32.	Telangana	33
33.	Tripura	08
34.	Uttar Pradesh	75
35.	Uttarakhand	13
36.	West Bengal	00
	Total OSCs	704

FAQs on One Stop Centre Scheme

Now that you know everything about the One Stop Centre Scheme, here are some important FAQs that you should know –