Mission Vatsalya Scheme

In News: Ministry of Women and Child Development issues Guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme

About the Scheme

• The MW&CD is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, since 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children.

The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in India.

Components under Mission Vatsalya include–

• Improve functioning of statutory bodies;
• Strengthen service delivery structures;
• Upscale institutional care/services;
• Encourage non-institutional community-based care;
• emergency outreach services;
• Training and capacity building.

Guidelines

• The guidelines detail 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 WCD Secretary, who will scrutinise and approve annual plans and financial proposals received from states and UTs for release of grants.
• Secretaries of the departments of Home Affairs, Social Justice and Empowerment, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Labour, Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of School Affairs and Literacy, and the Niti Aayog CEO, will be PAB members.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Centre will cover the whole cost in UTs without a legislature.
• 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.
• The guidelines state that Mission Vatsalya will support State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA), which will support the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in promoting in-country adoption and regulating inter-country adoption.
• SARA shall coordinate, monitor and develop the work related to non-institutional care, including adoption in the state.
• The Mission envisages setting up cradle baby reception centres in at least one specialised adoption agency in a district.
• Mission Vatsalya will execute a 24×7 helpline service for children, as defined under JJ Act, 2015.
• Separate children’s homes based on gender (including separate homes for transgender children) and age will be established for children in need of care, as well as for special needs children.
• States/UTs have also been directed to focus on special needs children in child care institutions, who are unable to attend school with physical or mental disabilities
• Financial support has also been prescribed for vulnerable children living with extended families or in foster care, supporting their education, nutrition and health needs.
• After-care has been provided for, for children leaving a child care institution on completion of 18 years, who will now be provided with financial support to facilitate the child’s re-integration into the mainstream of society.
• This support could also include finances to set up businesses.
• Under the guidelines, state governments are required to take up the exercise to grade each child care institution (CCI) at fixed intervals.
• The grading will be done based on infrastructure, quality of services, wellbeing of children, especially in terms of health and education, restoration and rehabilitation of children, etc.

Source:Pib.gov

Indian Express

Previous Year Question

Q.1) What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’? (2017)

1. Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s education system and local communities.
2. Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies.
3. Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological power.
4. Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health care and education of rural and urban poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them.