'Nirbhaya' app launched to help women in distress

A city-based software company has launched a cellphone application, which can send a distress message to a specified contact group in an emergency situation confronting a woman.

The application 'Nirbhaya', which can be downloaded for free, will send an alarm by way of an SMS text message denoting woman's location to the configured group through the Global Positioning System (GPS), said Gajanan Sakhare, the CEO of 'Smart Cloud Infotech', which has developed the application.

It can also be used for communicating exigencies like accident apart from attempted molestation through pre-defined text messages.

Compatible at present with Android mobile phones, the user will be required to submit personal details in respect of residential address and emergency contact numbers. The users can configure their own list of contacts incorporating police and other close relatives and friends.

A click on 'Nirbhaya' short-cut hot key in a distress situation can deliver a text message to the configured contact group, seeking help and indicating the user's location, he said, adding the application will soon be available on I-phone and Windows mobile phones.