Centre Releases Funds for Child Welfare Initiatives Under Mission Vatsalya

Child Welfare Funds Released Under Mission Vatsalya

By Khritish Swargiary

NEW DELHI (AP) - The Government of India has released substantial funds to states and union territories under the Mission Vatsalya scheme, aimed at providing care and protection to children in difficult circumstances. This was revealed by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani in response to a query in the Lok Sabha.

Addressing the issues related to the monitoring and implementation of the Mission Vatsalya scheme, Irani highlighted the government's commitment to providing a safety net of statutory and service delivery structures for children in need of care and protection, as well as those in conflict with the law, to facilitate their rehabilitation and social reintegration.

The Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme support various initiatives, including age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, healthcare, and counseling. The scheme also provides non-institutional care through sponsorship, foster care, and aftercare for children in need of care and protection.

Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, as amended in 2021, the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) have been empowered to take decisions regarding children in need of care and protection, keeping their best interests in mind. They are also mandated to monitor the functioning of the CCIs. Similarly, the Juvenile Justice Boards are empowered to take decisions for the welfare of children in conflict with the law.

Irani informed the House that during the financial year 2022-23, a total of 62,675 children were supported under non-institutional care, including sponsorship and aftercare, in states and union territories under the Mission Vatsalya scheme.

Regarding the monitoring and inspection of CCIs, the Minister stated that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) are mandated to monitor the implementation of the Act at the national and state levels, respectively. Additionally, the state governments have appointed Inspection Committees to assess the basic facilities and infrastructure of the institutions to maintain their standards.

The Ministry regularly follows up with the states and union territories to ensure that the CCIs adhere to the standards of care as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Various advisories have been sent to all states and union territories regarding the mandatory inspection of all CCIs.

During the last financial year 2022-23, the Ministry of Women and Child Development released a total of Rs. 88,476.04 lakhs to states and union territories under the Mission Vatsalya scheme. The state-wise details of the fund release are as follows:

Sl. No. State/UT Amount Released
1 Andhra Pradesh 3,677.98
2 Arunachal Pradesh 2,936.49
3 Assam 3,734.67
4 Bihar 3,454.25
5 Chhattisgarh 765.05
6 Goa 5.77
7 Gujarat 2,329.53
8 Haryana 2,938.82
9 Himachal Pradesh 3,091.73
10 Jammu & Kashmir 2,822.85
11 Jharkhand 743.48
12 Karnataka 5,856.93
13 Kerala 1,284.89
14 Madhya Pradesh 4,690.78
15 Maharashtra 7,132.66
16 Manipur 4,826.75
17 Meghalaya 333.07
18 Mizoram 1,503.31
19 Nagaland 2,630.86
20 Odisha 3,755.49
21 Punjab 1,069.08
22 Rajasthan 6,600.22
23 Sikkim 1,047.25
24 Tamil Nadu 5,102.93
25 Telangana 2,824.95
26 Tripura 159.54
27 Uttar Pradesh 6,604.67
28 Uttarakhand 365.91
29 West Bengal 2,663.81
30 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 374.79
31 Chandigarh 523.78
32 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 389.90
33 Delhi 1,506.95
34 Lakshadweep 0
35 Ladakh 142.44
36 Puducherry 584.46
Total 88,476.04

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