Lok Sabha Question No. 1350 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Child Welfare Committee
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: C. R. Patil, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Anurag Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.1350

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2024

## CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

1350.   SHRI C.R. PATIL:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI: SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

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

- (a) the details of funds released under the Mission Vatsalya scheme, State-wise and the purpose thereof;
- (b) the issues entailed in the Monitoring System of Mission Vatsalya and the manner in which the monitoring takes place;
- (c) the number of children identified by the Child Welfare and Protection Committee (CW&PC) and their  sponsorship  facilitated  under  the  said  scheme  in  Navsari, Balasore and Jhansi Parliamentary Constituencies;
- (d) the number of children given financial support and the extent of financial support given to such children who leave a Child Care Institution upon turning 18 years old; and
- (e) the  quantum  of  funds  provided  to  States  for  setting  up  of  Child  Welfare Committees?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) : Ministry of Women and Child Development is also implementing Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  namely  'Mission  Vatsalya'  (erstwhile  Child  Protection  Services Scheme),  through  the  State/  UT  Governments  on  pre-defined  cost  sharing  basis between the Central and the State Governments for delivering services for children in difficult circumstances which include both institutional care and non-institutional care services. The Government is committed to provide security net of statutory and service delivery structures to the children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with  law  for  their  rehabilitation  and  social  re-integration  into  the  mainstream  of  the society.   The  Child  Care  Institutions  (CCIs)  established  under  the  Mission  Vatsalya scheme  support inter-alia age-appropriate  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.

Under  the  Juvenile  Justice  (Care  and  Protection  of  Children)  Act,  2015  (as amended in 2021) (Sections 27-30), the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) have been empowered to take decisions with regard to the children in need of care and protection, keeping their best interest 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 law (Sections 04-09). The JJ Act, 2015 (Section 109)  provides  the  National  Commission  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights  (NCPCR)  at national level and State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) at State level respectively to monitor the implementation of the Act.

Under section 54 of the JJ Act, 2015, the State Governments have to appoint Inspection  Committees  and  under  section  53,  to  assess  the  basic  facilities  and infrastructure of the Institution for maintaining their standards. 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.

The Ministry regularly follows up with the State/ UT Governments so as to ensure that Child Care Institutions (CCIs) adhere to standards of care as per the JJ Act, 2015 provisions. Various advisories have been sent to all States/UTs regarding mandatory inspection of all CCIs.

State-wise details of release of funds under Mission Vatsalya scheme during the last financial year 2022-23 is at Annexure-I.

(c) : As per Mission Vatsalya Scheme, every district has a Sponsorship and Foster Care Approval Committee (SFCAC) to implement and monitor the Sponsorship and Foster Care programme as provided under the Mission. The SFCAC is responsible in each district  to  sanction  sponsorship  on  receipt  of  recommendation  from  the  CWC. During the financial year 2022-23, total 62,675 children have been supported under non-institutional  care  including  Sponsorship  in  States/UTs  under  Mission  Vatsalya Scheme. However, constituency-wise data of sponsorship is not maintained.

(d) : The Mission Vatsalya Scheme supports children through following modes of Non-Institutional Care:

- i. Sponsorship: financial  support  is  extended  to  vulnerable  children  living  with extended families/ biological relatives for supporting their education, nutrition and health needs.
- ii. Foster Care: the responsibility of the child is undertaken by an unrelated family for care protection and rehabilitation of the child. Financial support is provided to biologically unrelated Foster Parents for nurturing the child.
- iii. Adoption: finding families for the children found legally free for adoption. Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) facilitates the adoption programme.
- iv. After Care: the children who are leaving a Child Care Institution on completion of 18  years  of  age  is  provided  with  financial  support  to  facilitate  the  child's  reintegration into mainstream of society. Such support are given from the age of 18 years up to 21 years, extendable up to 23 years of age to help her/him become self-dependent

The JJ Act, 2015 provides for Aftercare of Children vide Section 2(5) and section 46  which  mandates  that  any  child  leaving  a  child  care  institution  on  completion  of eighteen years of age may be provided with financial support in order to facilitate child's re-integration into the mainstream of the society in the manner as may be prescribed in Rule 25 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016 (as amended in 2022). As per Rule 79 (9) of the JJ Model Rules, 2016 (as amended in 2022),  where  a  girl,  above  eighteen  years  of  age,  is  released  from  the  Child  Care Institution and has no place to go, she shall be provided with accommodation in the Working Women Hostels, or other such government facilities, till the time some other suitable arrangement is made by her. During the financial year 2022-23, total 62,675 children  have  been  supported  under  non-institutional  care  including  Aftercare  in States/UTs under Mission Vatsalya Scheme.

(e) : Under Mission Vatsalya Scheme, funds to the tune of Rs.88476.04 lakhs have been released to States/UTs during the FY 2022-23 which also includes funds for setting up of Child Welfare Committees.

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## ANNEXURE- I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A)  & (B) OF THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.1350 FOR ANSWER ON 09.02.2024 BY SHRI C.R. PATIL,  SHRI  PRATAP  CHANDRA  SARANGI  AND  SHRI  ANURAG  SHARMA REGARDING CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

## STATE-WISE  STATUS  OF  RELEASE  OF  FUNDS  UNDER  MISSION  VATSALYA SCHEME DURING THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR 2022-23

(Rs. In Lakh)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the State                |   Amount released during F.Y. 2022-23 |
|-----------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                   |                               3677.98 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh                |                               2936.49 |
| 3         | Assam                            |                               3734.67 |
| 4         | Bihar                            |                               3454.25 |
| 5         | Chattisgarh                      |                                765.05 |
| 6         | Goa                              |                                  5.77 |
| 7         | Gujarat                          |                               2329.53 |
| 8         | Haryana                          |                               2938.82 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh                 |                               3091.73 |
| 10        | Jammu & Kashmir                  |                               2822.85 |
| 11        | Jharkhand                        |                                743.48 |
| 12        | Karnataka                        |                               5856.93 |
| 13        | Kerala                           |                               1284.89 |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh                   |                               4690.78 |
| 15        | Maharashtra                      |                               7132.66 |
| 16        | Manipur                          |                               4826.75 |
| 17        | Meghalaya                        |                                333.07 |
| 18        | Mizoram                          |                               1503.31 |
| 19        | Nagaland                         |                               2630.86 |
| 20        | Orissa                           |                               3755.49 |
| 21        | Punjab                           |                               1069.08 |
| 22        | Rajasthan                        |                               6600.22 |
| 23        | Sikkim                           |                               1047.25 |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu                       |                               5102.93 |
| 25        | Telangana                        |                               2824.95 |
| 26        | Tripura                          |                                159.54 |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh                    |                               6604.67 |
| 28        | Uttarakhand                      |                                365.91 |
| 29        | West Bengal                      |                               2663.81 |
| 30        | Andaman & Nicobar Island         |                                374.79 |
| 31        | Chandigarh                       |                                523.78 |
| 32        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli Daman & Diu |                                389.9  |
| 33        | Delhi                            |                               1506.95 |
| 34        | Lakshadweep                      |                                  0    |
| 35        | Ladakh                           |                                142.44 |
| 36        | Puducherry                       |                                584.46 |
|           | Total                            |                              88476    |