Lok Sabha Question No. 5625 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-04
Subject: Mission Vatsalya Scheme
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Saumitra Khan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 5625

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2025

## MISSION VATSALYA SCHEME

## 5625.  SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

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

- (a) the  details  of  the  key  objectives  and  components  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the Government to promote Mission Vatsalya in the country including Bishnupur Parliamentary Constituency in West Bengal;
- (b) the  number  of  children  registered  under  the  said  Mission,  including  said  Parliamentary Constituency;
- (c) whether the Mission Vatsalya scheme facilitate sponsorship and foster care for children in difficult  circumstances, if so, the details thereof  along with the role of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Sponsorship and Foster Care Approval Committee (SFCAC) in this process; and
- (d) whether the Government has taken any measures to strengthen the implementation/monitoring of child welfare initiatives under said Mission across districts in the  country,  particularly  in  ensuring  the  effective  functioning  of  CWCs,  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD  DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) : Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely 'Mission Vatsalya', through the State/ UT Governments on predefined cost sharing basis between  the  Central  and  the  State  Governments  to  deliver  services  for  children  in  difficult circumstances which includes institutional care and non-institutional care services. The Child Care Institutions  (CCIs)  established  under  the  Mission  Vatsalya  scheme  support, inter-alia, ageappropriate  education,  access  to  vocational  training,  recreation,  health  care,  counselling  etc. Support under non-institutional care is provided by way of sponsorship, foster care and after care to children in need of care and protection.

The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to ensure that the best interests of children are always taken care  of  while  designing  the  projects/  programmes.  It  includes  establishing  essential  services, emergency  outreach  services  for  children  and  include  strengthening  of  institutional  and  noninstitutional care services.

Mission Vatsalya Scheme provides for setting up of statutory and service delivery structures at State and District level for achieving goals for children living in difficult conditions. Under Mission Vatsalya Scheme, State Child Protection Society (SCPS) setup in every State/UT, State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) and also, Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board and District Child Protection Unit in the districts.  The State of West Bengal has 25 Child Welfare Committees, 23 Juvenile Justice Boards and 23 District Child Protection Units, as on 31.03.2024.

The  Ministry  regularly  engages  with  the  States/UTs  for  enhanced  implementation  of  the Scheme. The Ministry  has  also  issued  various  guidelines  and  advisories  from  time  to  time  for strengthening  implementation  of  Mission  Vatsalya  by  the  States/UTs.   These  include  Mission Vatsalya  Guidelines,  Standard  Operating  Procedures  for  Child  Helpline,  Model  Foster  Care Guidelines 2024 etc.

The  initiatives  taken  under  the  Mission  Vatsalya  Scheme  include  collaboration  with  National Institute  of  Mental  Health  and  Neurosciences  (NIMHANS),  Bangalore  under  'SAMVAD' (Support Advocacy & Mental Health Interventions for Children in Vulnerable Circumstances and Distress). SAMVAD works in areas of Mental Health, Care & Protection, Education and Policy & Law. Various training and capacity building programmes have been conducted for child protection functionaries and other stakeholders across the States/ UTs.

Also, the Ministry in collaboration with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA),  Mussoorie  has  developed  an  online  training  module  on  Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection for Children) Act, 2015 for capacity building of multiple stakeholders such as State Governments/ UT Administrations, district authorities and others.

(b) : State/UT-wise number of children supported under the Mission Vatsalya Scheme in FY 202324 is at Annexure.

(c) & (d) : The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provide for setting up of one Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in every district which is empowered to take decisions with regard to the Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP), keeping their best interest in mind. They are also mandated to monitor the functioning of the Child Care Institutions (CCIs) (Sections 27-30 of JJ Act).

Under Non-Institutional Care component of Mission Vatsalya Scheme, support is provided through sponsorship, foster care, adoption and after care. Mission Vatsalya Scheme guidelines provide for a Sponsorship & Foster Care Approval Committee (SFCAC) in every district to implement and monitor the Sponsorship and Foster Care matters. During the financial year 2023-24, total 1,21,861 children were supported under non-institutional care including Sponsorship and Foster Care under Mission Vatsalya Scheme.

To strengthen the implementation/ monitoring of child welfare initiatives under Mission Vatsalya across districts in the country, the Ministry has issued various guidelines and advisories from time to  time  for  strengthening  implementation/monitoring  of  child  welfare  initiatives  under  Mission Vatsalya  by  the  States/UTs.  These  include  Mission  Vatsalya  Guidelines,  Standard  Operating Procedures for Child Helpline, Model Foster Care Guidelines 2024 among other advisories.

Section 106 of JJ Act, 2015 states that the primary responsibility and execution of the JJ Act, 2015 lies with the State/UTs.  As per JJ Act, 2015 (as amended in 2021), District Magistrates have been empowered as the nodal authority in district for children in need of care and protection.

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ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION  NO.5625  FOR  ANSWER  ON  04.04.2025  RAISED  BY  SHRI  SAUMITRA  KHAN REGARDING MISSION VATSALYA SCHEME

## STATE/UT-WISE NUMBER  OF  CHILDREN  SUPPORTED  UNDER  MISSION  VATSALYA SCHEME (INSTITUTIONAL CARE AND NON-INSTITUTIONAL CARE) IN FY 2023-24

| S. No.   | State/UT                           |   Number of children supported in Institutional Care |   Number of children supported in Non- Institutional Care |
|----------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                     |                                                 1546 |                                                     10000 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh                  |                                                  206 |                                                      1719 |
| 3        | Assam                              |                                                 1241 |                                                      1919 |
| 4        | Bihar                              |                                                 2227 |                                                      4001 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh                       |                                                 1843 |                                                      1137 |
| 6        | Goa                                |                                                  461 |                                                        62 |
| 7        | Gujarat                            |                                                 3195 |                                                       450 |
| 8        | Haryana                            |                                                  963 |                                                       643 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh                   |                                                  926 |                                                      1352 |
| 10       | Jammu and Kashmir                  |                                                 1104 |                                                      4024 |
| 11       | Jharkhand                          |                                                 1238 |                                                      4629 |
| 12       | Karnataka                          |                                                 3110 |                                                     12449 |
| 13       | Kerala                             |                                                  776 |                                                      1455 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh                     |                                                 2597 |                                                     13715 |
| 15       | Maharashtra                        |                                                 3495 |                                                     21680 |
| 16       | Manipur                            |                                                 2295 |                                                      1288 |
| 17       | Meghalaya                          |                                                 1031 |                                                      1083 |
| 18       | Mizoram                            |                                                 1172 |                                                      1516 |
| 19       | Nagaland                           |                                                  562 |                                                       779 |
| 20       | Orissa                             |                                                 4431 |                                                      3697 |
| 21       | Punjab                             |                                                  533 |                                                      4150 |
| 22       | Rajasthan                          |                                                 2733 |                                                       933 |
| 23       | Sikkim                             |                                                  468 |                                                       460 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                         |                                                10118 |                                                      5411 |
| 25       | Telangana                          |                                                 2243 |                                                      4858 |
| 26       | Tripura                            |                                                  948 |                                                      1373 |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh                      |                                                 3226 |                                                     10000 |
| 28       | Uttarakhand                        |                                                  589 |                                                      1817 |
| 29       | West Bengal                        |                                                 4744 |                                                      2750 |
| 30       | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           |                                                  274 |                                                         1 |
| 31       | Chandigarh                         |                                                  222 |                                                       309 |
| 32       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu |                                                   36 |                                                       984 |
| 33       | Ladakh                             |                                                   84 |                                                       411 |
| 34       | Lakshadweep                        |                                                    0 |                                                         0 |
| 35       | Delhi                              |                                                 1216 |                                                       635 |
| 36       | Puducherry                         |                                                  739 |                                                       171 |
| Total    | Total                              |                                                62592 |                                                    121861 |

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