BHUBANESWAR: State Capital Bhubaneswar is not a very safe city for women. The first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index released by the NITI Aayog has ranked Bhubaneswar eighth among 56 cities of the country in terms of crimes committed against women. As per the SDG Urban Index 2021-22 report, at least 170.6 women in one lakh have experienced some form of crime in the city.
Guwahati tops the list with the rate of crime committed against women in the city at a high of 428.2. The report also stated that the rate of sexual crimes against girls per 1 lakh girl children in the city is 54.92. It stated that the proportion of crime committed against children in every one lakh children is 34, while the number of missing children in the same ratio stands at 97.6.
The crime rate notwithstanding, Bhubaneswar has managed to be among the cities in the ‘frontrunner’ category in terms of gender equity by bagging 33rd rank and a score of 72 out of 100. Bhubaneswar has 913 females in every 1,000 males, with 79.40 per cent literacy rate.
The Capital city secured an overall rank of 44 with a score of 59.71 on the basis of 16 major indicators that included poverty reduction, nutrition, health, education, women empowerment, water and sanitation, clean energy, economic growth, industry, infrastructure, reduced inequalities, urban development, climate action, forests, and governance.
The rate of crimes against senior citizens in every one lakh population is nil. The number of economic offences committed in every one lakh population is 73.7, while the rate of cybercrime in the State capital is 14.6. Shimla has been ranked number one in the index followed by Coimbatore.