Question : Street and Destitute Children

(a) whether street and destitute children are increasing day by day in the country;
(b) if so, the number of street and destitute children in the country during each of the last three years and the current year along with the reasons for such increase, State/UT-wise;
(c) the details of the schemes implemented by the Government for their welfare, education and rehabilitation along with the funds allocated/released and utilised thereunder during the said period, scheme and State/UT-wise;
(d) whether the Government has recently launched a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for care and protection of street children for their rehabilitation and safeguarding and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether the Government has also decided to outline a detailed intervention framework for care and protection of children living in streets and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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Statement referred to in reply to part (a) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *224 for answer on 17.03.2017 raised by Shri S.R. Vijayakumar and Shri Ashok Shankarrao Chavan regarding “Street and Destitute Children”


(a) & (b): The Ministry of Women and Child Development does not maintain data about the number of street and destitute children in the country. However, a rapid assessment survey of street involved children carried out by Don Bosco National Forum in the year 2013 for the Young at Risk (YaR), New Delhi and Don Bosco Research Centre, Mumbai in the following 16 cities of India has come to the notice of the Government of India. As per the aforesaid survey, the number of street involved children in these 16 cities of the country, including metropolitan cities is as under:

Sl. No. Name of the City Number of Street involved Children
1. New Delhi 69,976
2. Mumbai 16,059
3. Kolkata 8,287
4. Chennai 2,374
5. Bangalore 7,523
6. Hyderabad 1,797
7. Trivandrum 140
8. Chandigarh 2,323
9, Guwahati 5,534
10. Dimapur 2,455
11. Imphal 851
12. Shillong 872
13. Vijayawada 2,238
14. Salem 5,752
15. Goa 1,287
16. Baroda 2,428


(c) The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely, Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) through State Governments/UT Administrations with the objective to create a safe and secure environment for overall development of children in need of care and protection, including street and destitute children. ICPS provides for setting up of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) including homes of various types viz. Children Homes, Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) for providing care and rehabilitation services to children in need of care and protection. The programmes and activities at these CCIs inter-alia include age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. The details of funds sanctioned, released and utilized by the State Governments/UTs under ICPS during each of the last three years and the current year, State/Union Territory-wise is annexed.















(d) As per information provided by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for care and protection of Children in Street Situations has been developed by NCPCR in collaboration with the NGO – ‘Save the Children’ (Bal Raksha Bharat) to streamline the processes and interventions regarding children in street situations.

(e) The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) is the primary law for children in need of care and protection and for children in conflict with law and the said Act provides the legislative intervention, whereas schematic intervention is provided by the Integrated Child Protection Scheme. SOP has also been developed within the legislature frame work provided by the JJ Act.

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