Guwahati: The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organised a regional symposium called “Vatsal Bharat” focussed on child protection, child safety, and child welfare. The symposium took place on Saturday at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
The symposium was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The programme is a part of a series of regional symposiums to be held across the country to raise awareness and outreach about child protection, safety and welfare issues.
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura were the states that took part in the symposium.
Key dignitaries present at the event included Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State for Women and Child Development; Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of NCPCR; Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, Additional Secretary of Women and Child Development; Indra Mallo, Joint Secretary of WCD; and Rupali Bannerji, Member Secretary of NCPCR. The participating states included Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura.
Dr Mahendrabhai highlighted the goals of “Mission Vatsalya,” which aims to establish a safety net for children in difficult circumstances. “This will help provide better quality of services to the children in need of protection. Some of the important factors like foster care, special education, sponsorship, etc are taken into consideration,” he said. The minister assured dedication to every child’s protection in India, with improved implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and enhanced child care institution functioning under Mission Vatsalya.
Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of NCPCR, emphasised the commission’s ongoing efforts to eliminate social issues like child marriage, illegal trafficking, and drug consumption. To address drug and substance abuse among children in the North East region, the Northeast Cell of NCPCR Pilot has initiated workshops at the district level, he informed.
He further said that the Joint Action Plan (JAP) by NCPCR seeks to combat drug abuse and trafficking around educational institutions. “With the help of tracking mechanism, NCPCR/SCPCR has maximised their role in monitoring cases of child sexual abuse,” he added.
Under the initiative of Mission Vatsalya, a significant enhancement was introduced in 2014.
Sponsorship or foster care was raised to Rs. 2000 (earlier Rs. 500) and after care allowance was elevated from Rs 750 to current amount of Rs. 4000. Moreover, a comprehensive expansion of the State Child Protection Society, State Adoption Agency, Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare committees has been prioritised in every district.
Prospective adoptive parents attended the event and shared their positive experiences with the adoption procedures facilitated by recent changes.
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The symposium also highlighted successful interventions under Mission Vatsalya, including sponsorship, foster care, and mental health support for children in distress.
The event saw participation from officials of the Women and Child Development department, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members, Anganwadi workers, and other officials involved in child rights protection mechanisms.
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