The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) is the primary law for care and protection of children in the country. As per Section 2 (14) (vi) of the JJ Act, a child who does not have parents and no one is willing to take care of and protect or who is abandoned or surrendered is included as a “child in need of care and protection.” The Act provides a security net of service delivery structures including measures for institutional and non-institutional care to ensure comprehensive well-being of children in distress situations.

Mission Vatsalya scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) which is implemented through States/Union Territories (UTs) to deliver services for Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) and Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) which include Institutional Care and Non-Institutional Care. The fund sharing pattern is in the ratio of 60:40 for all States and UTs with legislature except the North-Eastern States and Hilly States - Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu & Kashmir, where the cost of sharing is 90:10. In Union Territory without legislature, the cost is 100 % on the Central Government. Under the scheme Institutional Care is provided through Child Care Institutes (CCIs), as a rehabilitative measure. The programmes and activities in Homes inter-alia include age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. Under the Non-Institutional Care component, support is extended for Adoption, Foster Care, After Care and Sponsorship. Further Mission Vatsalya also provides for “After care” services after the age of 18 years to help sustain them during the transition from institutional to independent life. The data for homeless children is not maintained centrally by the Ministry. The primary responsibility of execution of the Act and implementation of Scheme lies with the States/UTs. There are 04 Child Care Institutions, 03 Child Welfare Committees and 03 Juvenile Justice Boards in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

This information was given by the Minister of Women and Child Development Smt. Annapurna Devi in the Lok Sabha in reply to a question today.

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