NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has been asked to review infrastructure gaps in childcare homes and to urgently address them, in a bid to provide timely rehabilitation and protection to children housed in them.
According to officials of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, as per Section 27 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, it is mandatory to establish at least one Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in each district as the authority to dispose of cases related to the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of children in need.
The direction to the commission came from Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani. Officials in the ministry said Irani has asked the NCPCR to submit a report to the ministry to address gaps in the Union Budget.
Infrastructure and financial support will be provided to the states and Union Territories to facilitate the setting up of CWCs in every district and to ensure their effective functioning under Mission Vatsalya. CWC is the sole authority to deal with matters concerning children in need of protection.
Mission Vatsalya provides Rs 9.25 lakh for the construction of the CWC buildings. The children’s homes being constructed must have two rooms of 300 square feet each. In districts where an existing home has the required space available, it will have to be provided to the committee, an official said.
However, in districts with no children’s homes or the existing home has no space for the committee, funding will be provided under the mission to construct or rent a space. The CWCs are provided Rs 84,000 per annum for child-related expenses, which include medicines and transportation. Also, an amount of Rs 1,80,000 per annum is given to them for rent, water, electricity, telephone, stationery and local travel, officials said.
Rescue and rehabilitation
A child rescued from a hazardous occupation, brothel, abusive family or other exploitative situations must be produced before the CWC, which will conduct an inquiry to ensure optimum rehabilitation with minimal damage to the child. Children in need of care and protection are sent directly to the children’s home by the CWC, which passes necessary orders.