- Ministry of Women and Child Development has planned to initiate the involvement of Private Aided Sponsorship wherein interested sponsors including individuals, institutions, companies, banks, industrial units or trusts, etc. can support the children through the Mission Vatsalya scheme.
- Civil society and various volunteering organisations are being encouraged to join the Mission in a systematic and planned manner to stimulate public participation and utilise the resources available for the mission’s accomplishment.
- The Ministry has also proposed a Vatsalya portal where volunteers can register so that State and District Authorities can hire them to carry out various initiatives.
Mission Vatsalya Scheme’s motto: “Leave No Child Behind”
- Formulated in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Mission Vatsalya Scheme is a road map for achieving development and child protection priorities. Its core motto is, “Leave No Child Behind,” which places a strong emphasis on children’s rights, advocacy, and awareness as well as the enhancement of the juvenile justice system’s care and protection.
- It serves as the country’s general framework for child protection services. Improved statutory body operation, strengthened service delivery systems, upscale institutional care and services, promotion of non-institutional community-based care, emergency outreach services, training, and capacity building are some of the components of Mission Vatsalya.
- 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 carrying out the Mission.
- 472 million children under the age of 18 live in India, making up approximately 39% of the total population, and this mission is to ensure that every child in the nation has a happy and healthy childhood and to foster a sensitive, supporting, and synchronised ecology for children’s growth to make sure they have the opportunities to realise their full potential and help them flourish in all ways over time.
Centrally sponsored scheme
- The program is carried out as a centrally sponsored scheme in collaboration with state governments and UT administrations to assist the States and UTs in expanding access and enhancing service quality throughout the nation.
- The percentage of funds shared between the centre and the states and union territories with the legislature is 60:40, respectively.
- The North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, as well as the two Himalayan States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, share funds in a 90:10 ratio with the Centre.
- In Union Territories without a legislature, the central share is 100%. In order to ensure that services are provided and that children in the area are cared for and protected, the District Child Protection Unit will operate under the general supervision of the District Magistrate.
The key objectives of Mission Vatsalya are:
- Coordinate and network with all allied systems to promote convergent efforts for seamless service delivery to children in order to ensure appropriate inter-sector response at all levels.
- To improve family and community-level child protection, empower families and communities to recognise risks and vulnerabilities affecting children, and develop and promote preventative strategies to shield kids from danger, risk, and abuse.
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