Written By: Anusha Iyengar | Updated : March 30, 2016 3:13 PM IST
Good news! Just like the '911' all-in-one emergency number in the US, India gets its official National Emergency Number '112'. TRAI, in April 2015, had proposed this helpline number that can integrate all the 100, 101, 102 and 108 in 112. This number can be used for all kinds of emergencies like police, ambulance, fire brigade, disaster management, etc. If you are thinking of trying this number out, bookmark this page and send it to all your friends on social media and WhatsApp!
We called '100' to find out more, and a Navi Mumbai local chowki police answered the call. When we asked her about the 112 number, she said, 'Aapko emergency hai toh isi number pe call karo. (Call on this number if you have any emergency). On further asking her about the 112 number, she said that the number has not been launched yet and that you can call the 100 number for any emergencies. 112 will be activated in few months. What happens to the other numbers when 112 is activated? 'Woh bhi rahega aur yeh bhi rahega (All numbers will exist),' she says.
The benefits of the soon-to-be-launched 112 number is that people will have one place to go to for emergencies instead to remembering so many numbers. It will be beneficial for senior citizens, too, as they will have a one-point contact for emergencies and can be better prepared for medical emergencies at all times. The government plans to launch the number in few months and slowly phase out the other numbers once people are aware of the new emergency number.
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