Lok Sabha Question No. 2609 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Homeless Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Meenakashi Lekhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2609

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.03.2020

## HOMELESS CHILDREN

## 2609. SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has defined homeless children and if so, the details  thereof and if not, the reasons therefor along with the number of homeless children living across the country, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government for the rehabilitation of homeless children and to bring them back to mainstream society;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to provide assistance ensuring educational, mental, physical and emotional needs of such children are recognised and fulfilled;
- (d) the number of children staying in such institution, State/UT-wise; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to ensure proper monitoring and evaluation of such institution?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  to  (e):    The  Juvenile  Justice  (Care  and  Protection  of  Children)  Act,  2015  (JJ  Act)    is  the primary law for children in the country. As per Section 2 (14) (vi) of the JJ Act, a child  who does not have parents and no one is willing to take care of, or whose parents have abandoned or surrendered  him  is  included  as  a  'child  in  need  of  care  and  protection.'  The  Act  provides  a security  net  of  service  delivery  structures  including  measures  for  institutional  and  noninstitutional  care  to  ensure  comprehensive  well  being  of  children  in  distress  situations.  The primary responsibility of execution of the Act lies with the States/UTs.The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally sponsored Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme (erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme) for supporting the children in difficult circumstances.The primary responsibility of implementation of the scheme lies with the State Governments/UT Administrations. Under the scheme institutional care is provided through Child Care Institutes (CCIs), as a rehabilitative measure. The programmes and activities in Homes inter-alia  include  age-appropriate  education,  access  to  vocational  training,  recreation,  health care,  counselling  etc.  Under  the  non-institutional  care  component,  support  is  extended  for adoption, foster care and sponsorship. Further CPS also provides for 'After care' services after the age of 18 years to help sustain them during the transition from institutional to independent life. Further, under Section 41 of the Act, registration of institutions including Homes for CNCP has been made mandatory with penalty in case of non-compliance. As per Section 54 of the JJ Act, the State Governments/UT Administrations are required to conduct regular inspections and monitor the CCIs to ensure that the institutions are run as per the provisions of the Act and the Model Rules, 2016 framed there-under. The details of CCIs alongwith the children residing in them under CPS scheme as informed by the States/UTs during 2019-20 is Annexed .

***

## Annexure (As on Feb, 2020)

| S. No.   | State/UT                            |   Children Home |   Beneficiar ies |   Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) |   Beneficiarie s |   Open Shelter |   Beneficiari es |
|----------|-------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------|----------------------------------------|------------------|----------------|------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                      |              50 |             2667 |                                     14 |              140 |              9 |              262 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh                   |               4 |              155 |                                      1 |               10 |              0 |                0 |
| 3        | Assam                               |              45 |             1470 |                                     21 |               72 |              7 |              104 |
| 4        | Bihar                               |              13 |              599 |                                     13 |              132 |              0 |                0 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh                        |              43 |             1687 |                                     12 |               95 |             10 |              127 |
| 6        | Goa                                 |              16 |              555 |                                      2 |               16 |              2 |              225 |
| 7        | Gujarat                             |              46 |             1521 |                                     13 |              132 |              3 |               60 |
| 8        | Haryana                             |              20 |             1027 |                                      7 |               52 |             14 |              425 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh                    |              30 |             1236 |                                      1 |               15 |              4 |               91 |
| 10       | Jammu and Kashmir                   |              10 |              542 |                                      2 |                0 |              0 |                0 |
| 11       | Jharkhand                           |              28 |              910 |                                     12 |               92 |              5 |              125 |
| 12       | Karnataka                           |              62 |             2949 |                                     25 |              319 |             38 |             1084 |
| 13       | Kerala                              |              18 |              680 |                                     11 |              222 |              4 |              100 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh                      |              46 |             2301 |                                     26 |              243 |              8 |              348 |
| 15       | Maharashtra                         |              19 |              572 |                                     17 |              170 |              2 |               50 |
| 16       | Manipur                             |              37 |             1080 |                                      7 |               55 |             14 |              296 |
| 17       | Meghalaya                           |              37 |              802 |                                      4 |                5 |              4 |              150 |
| 18       | Mizoram                             |              35 |             1041 |                                      7 |               26 |              0 |                0 |
| 19       | Nagaland                            |              25 |              506 |                                      4 |                5 |              3 |               60 |
| 20       | Odisha                              |              89 |             6767 |                                     25 |              250 |             12 |              300 |
| 21       | Punjab                              |              13 |              439 |                                      6 |               77 |              0 |                0 |
| 22       | Rajasthan                           |              61 |             3005 |                                     21 |              211 |             20 |              331 |
| 23       | Sikkim                              |              14 |              476 |                                      4 |               20 |              4 |               64 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                          |             187 |            12450 |                                     20 |              200 |             11 |              275 |
| 25       | Tripura                             |              19 |              710 |                                      6 |               49 |              2 |               58 |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh                       |              45 |             1754 |                                     25 |              247 |             20 |              517 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand                         |               7 |              317 |                                      2 |               15 |              2 |               50 |
| 28       | West Bengal                         |              59 |             3486 |                                     23 |              326 |             49 |             1226 |
| 29       | Telangana                           |              31 |             1017 |                                     11 |              320 |              0 |                0 |
| 30       | Andaman & Nicobar                   |              10 |              401 |                                      2 |               10 |              0 |                0 |
| 31       | Chandigarh                          |               5 |              230 |                                      2 |               17 |              0 |                0 |
| 32       | Dadra and Nagar Haveli              |               0 |                0 |                                      1 |               10 |              1 |               25 |
| 33       | Daman and Diu                       |               1 |               25 |                                      0 |                0 |              0 |                0 |
| 34       | Lakshadweep                         |               0 |                0 |                                      0 |                0 |              0 |                0 |
| 35       | National Capital Territory of Delhi |              23 |             1290 |                                      3 |               59 |              9 |              313 |
| 36       | Puducherry                          |              25 |             1040 |                                      2 |               16 |              2 |               42 |
|          | Total                               |            1173 |            55707 |                                    352 |             3628 |            259 |             6708 |