*Repealing Disha is a Black Day for Women: YSRCP*

Tadepalli, August 6: Former Ministers Mekathoti Sucharita, Taneti Vanitha and R.K. Roja strongly condemned the coalition government’s decision to withdraw the Disha programme, calling it a grave blow to women’s safety in Andhra Pradesh. They said the decision would embolden offenders and leave women more vulnerable to harassment and violence.

In a joint press statement, they said former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced Disha with foresight and genuine commitment to protect women. The programme was designed to ensure rapid investigation and punishment in serious crimes against women, with a framework aimed at delivering justice within 21 days. It created fear among offenders and confidence among women that the State would respond immediately in times of danger.

They said the Disha App became a crucial safety shield for women. Even shaking a mobile phone with the App activated could send an emergency alert to the police. A strengthened response mechanism enabled police teams to locate victims and reach them within minutes, helping thousands of women escape dangerous situations.

The former Ministers said the government had placed women’s safety in jeopardy by dismantling such an effective and trusted system. They charged that the decision was driven by political hostility toward every programme introduced by Y.S. Jagan, rather than concern for public welfare.

They said abandoning Disha amounted to withdrawing the assurance of swift protection and justice given to women. A programme created to deter crimes and rescue women in emergencies should have been strengthened, not scrapped for political reasons.

Sucharita, Vanitha and Roja demanded that the coalition government immediately reverse its decision, restore the Disha programme in full and stop sacrificing women’s safety merely to erase the achievements of the previous government.