Women and Child Development minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday ordered infrastructural assessment of all Child Care Institutions in Delhi and directed officials to workout a plan for state-of-the-art integrated complexes for children requiring institutional care, an official statement said.
Gahlot said children placed in CCIs should feel at home and till a family is found for restoration or adoption, the Delhi government will bear all the responsibilities as their guardian and provide remedial care and protect their well-being.
The minister also expressed concern over the infrastructural inadequacy and maintenance of the institutional buildings of CCIs, the statement said.
The minister gave the instructions at Sanskar Ashram Complex where he attended an event to mark World Day for International Justice. He said any child found in difficult situation and vulnerable or prone to abuse or exploitation must be taken into safety net.
During the event, he interacted with the children and presented them school bags with educational kits.
Children's Homes located in Sanskar Ashram Complex host girls and boys below 18 years of age who are found in difficult circumstances by the order of the Child Welfare Committee.
The department of Women and Child Development has established and maintains 26 such CCIs across Delhi and has given registration to at least 74 NGOs to run such facilities, the statement said.
As on June 30, 2022, the attendance of children in these institutions was 3,104. In the financial year 2021-22, a total 7,132 children were admitted to these Child Care Institutions, of which 5,805 children were released and restored to their families, the statement said.
"The minister directed officials to get the infrastructural assessment done of all the CCIs and emphasised on upgrading the standards of the facilities and infrastructures. He emphasised the need to develop an integrated well-being complex for children under the juvenile justice system," the statement said.
He further said that a plan for a state-of-the-art integrated complex for children requiring institutional care should be worked out in consultation with experts and architects, the statement said.
Out of 363 orphan children, the department has sanctioned sponsorship to 232 children placed with kinship care who needed financial support and 39 children have been taken into institutional care, it said.
The Arvind Kejriwal government has also launched 'Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Parivar Arthik Sahayata Yojna' to provide financial assistance to such families and 145 orphan children have already been covered under this scheme.
