Across the sprawling city of 16 million, shopkeepers say sales of pepper spray and rape alarms are up, while many young women report that relatives have become more concerned than ever about their welfare.

One newspaper reported this week that women had started coming forward to apply for gun licenses.

In the outsourcing industry, rocked by a rape and murder of an employee late at night in 2005, some companies have begun providing extra security to female employees who work late shifts.

"After the New Delhi incident, we ensure that at least one security guard is present in our late-night cabs," said Anurag Mathur, a human resources executive of a New Delhi-based company.

A survey published on Friday by industry group ASSOCHAM showed a 40 percent fall in the productivity of women employees at call centers and IT companies because many had reduced their hours or had quit.

As anxiety takes root, in which many cases women simply stay at home more, activists have raised their voices to condemn the government for failing to offer protection.

"Why should we live in a society where every woman is made responsible for her own security and safety? What we need really is a system which will protect us," said Ranjana Kumari of the New Delhi-based Center for Social Research.

This has been the source of sometimes-violent protests against the government over the last two and a half weeks as incensed women led marches and demonstrations in cities across the country.

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