Bihar's first one-stop crisis centre for women in distress will open doors at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in three months.

The Union ministry of women and child development has provided the Women's Development Corporation, Bihar, Rs 36.98 lakh to implement the project.

The one-stop crisis centre, also known as Nirbhaya centres, would provide women in distress medical, legal and psychological assistance.

Bihar will get one in three months but Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have already started theirs, named Gauravi and Aparajita, respectively. Under the Centre's plan, the total budget for the project is Rs 18 crore.

There can be more than one crisis centre in a state. These crisis centres have been modelled on the lines of similar facilities in UK, Australia, Malaysia, South Africa and Bangladesh, government sources said.

These Nirbhaya centres were initially announced by then finance minister P. Chidambaram in 2013 following the gang rape of the paramedic student in New Delhi the previous December.

A senior official in the state Women's Development Corporation said a team met officials in the health department in the third week of December to discuss the plan of action to start the one-stop crisis centre at PMCH. At present, Bihar has 38 women's helpline centres and 25 short stay homes but the crisis centre is held as a one-stop solution for women in distress.

Rupesh Kumar Sinha, Women's Development Corporation, Bihar, project manager, said: "The women's helpline centres and short stay homes are initiatives of the state government. The one-stop crisis centre would be more beneficial than the existing facilities because at the women's helpline centre, victims are only counselled. These also try to provide legal assistance by setting up a communication between the victims and police. At the short stay homes, the victims are just rehabilitated and don't get any legal or medical aid. But at one-stop crisis centre, the victims will get all kinds of assistance.

"The victims would get medical, legal and psychological aid in one place. Women at the helpline centres have to visit police stations with the helpline members to lodge FIRs.

At the one-stop crisis centre, victims would not have to go through any such ordeal. A retired cop would be deployed at the centre to help the victims lodge FIRs," Sinha added.

Apart from the police officer, there would be counsellors to help the victims, Sinha said. Lawyers would be present at the centre to look after the case proceedings. Sinha said:

"According to the plan, there will be nine employees, including a paramedic, a lawyer, a counsellor and a retired police officer not below the rank of inspector to help the victims file FIRs, at the one-stop crisis centre. The centre would also serve as a short stay home."

Sinha said initially, there will be five beds in the PMCH centre. If necessary, later the number will go up.

Women activists in Patna hailed the initiative.

Shilpi Singh, the director of non-government organisation Bhoomika Vihar that works for the rehabilitation of trafficking victims, said the crisis centres could ne a boon for the victims if implemented properly.

"The concept is very good, as the victims are expected to get all assistance in one place. The initiative will, however, only be successful if the victims are provided the proper environment at the centres. The government has to ensure there is no discrimination over the service provided to women coming from different sections of society. It is also noteworthy that the centre will start from a hospital, as it would ensure proper medical aid to the victims."