Child Rights – POSCO, Child Labour Laws, NAPC, etc.

Centre releases guidelines for Mission Vatsalya

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Mission Vatsalya

Mains level: Read the attached story

In order to access Central funds and benefits under Mission Vatsalya (an umbrella scheme for child protection services in the country), the centre has issued certain guidelines.

What is Mission Vatsalya?

  • Mission Vatsalya promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalization of children as a measure of last resort.
  • It is one of the new triad of schemes along with Mission Shakti, and Poshan 2.0, that aims at securing a healthy and happy childhood for every child.

Components under the mission include:

  1. Improve the functioning of statutory bodies;
  2. Strengthen service delivery structures;
  3. Upscale institutional care/services;
  4. Encourage non-institutional community-based care;
  5. Emergency outreach services;
  6. Training and capacity building.

Implementation

  • It will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with state governments and UT administrations, with a fund-sharing pattern in a 60:40 ratio.
  • However, for the eight states in the Northeast — as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the UT of J&K — the Centre and state/UT’s share will be 90:10.
  • The Centre will cover the whole cost in UTs without a legislature.

What are the new guidelines?

(1) Official changes

  • States will have to retain the official name, as given by the Centre. Only a correct translation to local language is permissible.
  • The centre detailed the process by which funds will be disbursed to states under various heads by defining institutionalised arrangements.
  • Funds to states will be approved through the Mission Vatsalya Project Approval Board (PAB), which will be chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of WCD.
  • The Secretary will scrutinise and approve annual plans and financial proposals received from states and UTs for release of grants.

(2) Special arrangements

  • States/UTs have also been directed to focus on special needs children with physical or mental disabilities.
  • Institutions now have to provide special educators, therapists and nurses to impart occupational therapy, speech therapy, verbal therapy and other remedial classes.
  • The staff in these special units will have to know sign language, Braille, etc, according to the new guidelines.

(3) Newly shouldered tasks

  • The guidelines state that Mission Vatsalya will support State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA), which will support the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
  • This move aims at promoting in-country adoption and regulating inter-country adoption.
  • Mission Vatsalya, in partnership with states and districts, will execute a 24×7 helpline service for children, as defined under JJ Act, 2015.

Name change saga: Child Protection Services Scheme

  • Before 2009, three schemes were being implemented under the WCD Ministry for children in need of protection:
  1. Programme for juvenile justice for children in need of care and protection, and children in conflict with law;
  2. Integrated programme for street children and
  3. Scheme for assistance to homes for children
  • These were clubbed in 2010 into a single scheme called the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
  • It was then renamed “Child Protection Services” Scheme in 2017, and again as Mission Vatsalya in 2021-22.

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