Chennai, Sep 20 (IANS) The Singapennu Special Task Force, formed by the TVK government to strengthen the safety of women and children across Tamil Nadu, has completed its first 100 days, Social Welfare and Women’s Rights Minister Jagatheeswari said.
The force was constituted after the TVK government assumed office as part of its efforts to improve institutional response to crimes against women and children. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay formally launched the task force in Chennai on June 9, 2026.
In a statement, the minister said the force conducted several operations in its first 100 days to prevent crimes, respond promptly to complaints, monitor vulnerable areas, and extend immediate assistance to people needing protection.
During this period, task force personnel took on-the-spot action on 4,231 complaints received from different parts of the state.
The force also traced and rescued 58 women and 94 children who had been reported missing or were found in vulnerable circumstances. In addition, the force rescued 111 people needing immediate care and protection and took them to safe locations, with necessary assistance coordinated with the police, district administrations, and social welfare agencies.
Jagatheeswari said preventing child marriages had been another important area of intervention. The task force succeeded in stopping 54 child marriages during its first 100 days, protecting minors from illegal unions and ensuring appropriate counselling and support.
She added that the round-the-clock 1091 Singapennu helpline was providing rapid assistance to women facing emergencies. The service has been integrated with the 112 emergency helpline to reduce response time and ensure complaints are immediately forwarded to the appropriate authorities.
The integration enables police, social welfare authorities, child protection teams, and other agencies to coordinate their response more effectively.
Complaints involving imminent danger are prioritised, while follow-up action is taken in other cases requiring counselling, shelter, or legal support. The government plans to strengthen the force further by improving surveillance in vulnerable locations, increasing public awareness about helplines, and enhancing coordination among departments responsible for women’s and children’s safety.
Jagatheeswari described the Singapennu Task Force’s performance during its first 100 days as encouraging, saying its interventions had demonstrated the value of a specialised mechanism and reaffirmed the TVK government’s commitment to creating a safer environment for women and children throughout Tamil Nadu.
–IANS
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