Keeping women's safety in mind, public buses will soon have emergency buttons, CCTV cameras and tracking devices, reported The Indian Express. On June 2, the central government will issue a circular spelling out mandatory safety measures on public transport buses. Rajasthan is set to get the first fleet of such buses.

“To ensure safety of women after the unfortunate Nirbhaya incident, we have decided to make it mandatory for public transport buses to install emergency panic buttons, CCTV cameras and GPS-enabled vehicle tracking devices,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. The panic buttons will send a signal to the Depot Chief Manager's phone, while CCTV cameras can capture footage and store it for five years. The tracking device will alert authorities if the vehicle deviates from its charted out route. The project will be financed partially by the Nirbhaya fund.

Gadkari announced the plan at the launch of 20 Mahila Gaurav Express buses that would run between Delhi and Rajasthan, 2,300 more such buses are being planned by the state government for the first phase. In the second phase, the Vasundhara Raje government intends to add 4,500 buses of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation to the programme.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunus Khan also attended the launch in Delhi.