Mission Vatsalya: Integrated child care, special homes for kids

Months after the union ministry of women and child development trifurcated the functioning of the ministry’s schemes, it issued guidelines for the segment dedicated to schemes for children, Mission Vatsalya.

In a letter to states and union territories, WCD joint secretary Indra Mallo asked them to ensure financial proposals of the scheme from April 1 this year. DH had earlier reported that the trifurcation, made to streamline implementation of the schemes, were categorised under Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Poshan. Schemes for women were to be named Mission Shakti while child welfare schemes are now called Mission Vatsalya. Mission Poshan will be the nutritional schemes.

The child protection services scheme, which encompasses the adoption resource agencies, child protection units, child welfare and protection committees, juvenile justice boards, among others.

As per the guidelines, the ministry has formed the Mission Vatsalya Project Approval Board (PAB), which will “scrutinise and approve” annual plans and financial proposals received from the states and UTs for release of grants under the scheme.

The Board will have as members secretaries of the union ministries of home affairs, social justice and empowerment, Panchayati Raj, rural development, housing and urban affairs, labour and employment, your affairs and sports, as well as the department of school education and literacy. Niti Aayog CEO, Director of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), and CEO of Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), apart from officials of WCD ministry.

The ministry has also unified all its efforts for children in difficult circumstances which include missing, orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered children, and an unified digital platform will be made. Four existing portals – TrackChild (for missing/found children), CARINGS (for the adoption of children), ICPS portal (for monitoring the scheme) and Khoya-Paya (citizen-centric application for missing and sighted children) will now be integrated by the NIC under one single portal.

Under child care institutions, the ministry has also announced Vatsalya Sadan which will be an integrated home complex, children home, observation home, special home and place of safety. Juvenile Justice Boards and child welfare institutions will also be located within the same premises for implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act. States have been asked to propose such set-ups for 75 children in each home.

“Time to time, states have submitted proposals for Integrated Home Complex based on their requirement. Therefore, to address this need, it has been decided to provide for construction of Vatsalya Sadan under the Mission Vatsalya,” the guidelines read.