Mission Vatsalya Initiative Aids 2,450 Child Care Facilities: Government
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) The centrally funded Mission Vatsalya initiative has aided 2,450 child care facilities (CCIs) during FY 2023-24 to deliver institutional care services to children, as stated by Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Under this initiative, 121,861 children received support for non-institutional care, while 62,594 children benefited from institutional care.
The CCIs offer age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreational activities, health care, and counseling.
This scheme was introduced in 2021 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) to assist children in need of care and protection (CNCP) and to support children in conflict with the law (CCL).
The aim of Mission Vatsalya is to ensure that the best interests of children are prioritized while designing projects and programs, Thakur emphasized, adding that it also seeks to establish essential services, emergency outreach services for children, and to enhance both institutional and non-institutional care services.
The Minister of State highlighted that there are 762 district child protection units, 781 child welfare committees, and 774 juvenile justice boards operating throughout the nation.
Additionally, Thakur reported that 3,580 children were adopted domestically and 449 children were adopted internationally during FY 2023-24.
Furthermore, she mentioned that more than 81.64 lakh women have been supported through the women's helpline as of October 31.
The women's helpline aims to provide 24/7 emergency and non-emergency support via telephone short-code 181 for women in both public and private settings, the Minister stated.
Since its inception on April 1, 2015, the Women Helpline (WHL) scheme has been operational.
Meanwhile, over 10 lakh women have received assistance from 802 One Stop Centres (OSC) under Mission Shakti.
The OSCs, which are active nationwide, offer comprehensive support and assistance under one roof to women facing violence and those in distress, regardless of their environment.
Services provided include medical aid, legal assistance, temporary shelter, police support, and psycho-social counseling for women in need.
Thakur noted that out of the sanctioned 878 One Stop Centres (OSCs), 802 OSCs are currently operational across the country, assisting over 10.12 lakh women until October 31.
