Ministry of Women and Child Development issues Guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme. States/UTs asked to prepare their financial proposal and plans for the year 2022-23 under Mission Vatsalya on the basis of financial norms of Guidelines.
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Ministry of Women and Child Development issues Guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, since 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children
- States/UTs asked to prepare their financial proposal and plans for the year 2022-23 under Mission Vatsalya on the basis of financial norms of Guidelines.
- 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.
- The norms of Mission Vatsalya scheme will be applicable from April 1, 2022
- Mission Vatsalya is a continuing scheme during 15th FC. A third-party assessment shall be conducted before the end of the 15th Finance Commission cycle to evaluate its effectiveness and suggest course correction.
Mission Vatsalya Scheme
- The ministry of women and child development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission Vatsalya” for the welfare and rehabilitation of children.
- Executing a round-the-clock helpline, establishing cradle baby reception centers for the abandoned and promoting family-based non-institutional care for children in difficult situations are among the main components of the new guidelines for the government's Mission Vatsalya scheme.
This, along with Mission Shakti and Mission Poshan 2.0 forms a triad of schemes focusing on child protection and welfare services.
In the Year 2021-22, Government categorized all the Programs of Ministry of WCD under three Umbrella namely
- Mission Poshan (nutrition of women and children),
- Mission Shakti (safety and security) and
- Mission Vatsalya (happy and healthy childhood for every child).
Importance of Mission Vatsalya
- India is home to 47.2 crore children up to the age of 18 years and comprise 39 per cent of the country’s population.
- The ministry of women & child development is the nodal ministry for ensuring welfare of children. This is envisaged to be accomplished by way of legislation, policy and schematic interventions along with coordination with other ministries and organizations.
- The National Children Policy, (as revised in 2013), and the National Plan of Action for Children, 2016 laid down the policy framework for child welfare and protection.
The Indian Parliament has passed several landmark legislations in favor of children like:
- Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012
- Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005
- Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
- Right to Education Act, 2009.
India is also a signatory to important international treaties like the United Nations Convention on Rights of Child and the Hague convention on Adoption of children which mandate systemic development and strengthening of juvenile justice system in the country.
Prior to 2009-10, there were three schemes being implemented under the ministry namely:
- Programme for juvenile justice for children in need of care and protection, and children in conflict with law.
- Integrated programme for street children.
- Scheme for assistance to homes for children (Shishu Greh).
All the three schemes were incorporated in a single centrally sponsored scheme called the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).
- The ICPS was implemented by the ministry from 2009-2010. The scheme was then renamed as “Child Protection Services” Scheme in 2017.
- The CPS Scheme has been now subsumed under Mission Vatsalya from 2021-22 onwards.
Mission Vatsalya is a roadmap to achieve development and child protection priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- It lays emphasis on child rights, advocacy and awareness along with strengthening of the juvenile justice care and protection system with the motto to ‘leave no child behind’.
- The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provisions and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 form the basic framework for implementation of the Mission.
- The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in India, ensure opportunities to enable them to discover their full potential and assist them in flourishing in all respects, in a sustained manner, foster a sensitive, supportive and synchronized ecosystem for development of children, assist States/UTs in delivering the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and achieve the SDG goals.
Implementation of Mission Vatsalya
Mission Vatsalya 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 Jammu and Kashmir — the Centre and state/UT’s share will be 90:10.
- Mission Vatsalya has a total financial implication of Rs 10,916 crore, with a central share of Rs 6,928 crore and state share of Rs 3,988 crore.
- At state level, there will be a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to monitor, review and promote convergence in the implementation of the scheme. There will also be a district-level committee.
- TrackChild for missing and found children.
- CARINGS for the adoption of children.
- Integrated child protection services portal for monitoring the scheme.
- Khoya-Paya, a citizen-centric application for Missing and sighted children, shall be integrated by the national informatics center into a single portal.
- This center shall be run by specialized adoption agencies from their premises and shall be equipped with all basic facilities for infants.
- An Integrated Home Complex of child care institutions called Vatsalya Sadan shall be located within single premises for implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act.
- The states may develop a specific colour scheme and building design specific to the state concerned. The states will be free to allocate additional budget over and above the central and state share in the grant-in-aid.
- Foster Care shall include Group Foster Mission Vatsalya Guidelines Care whereby a group of unrelated children are placed with a foster family or under the care of Foster Caregivers in a family-like setting who may or may not be having their own biological children.
