(a) whether the Government has directed all the child care shelters in the country to install biometric system;
(b) if so, the details thereof and purpose behind the move;
(c) whether child care shelters have also been asked to upload each child’s data on the Government’s track child portal;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure strict compliance of these orders by the child care shelters?
MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)
(a) & (b): No, Madam. Does not arise.
(c) & (d): The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) since 2009-10. The Scheme, envisages for creating a mechanism for tracking ‘missing’ and ‘found’ children. National Informatics Centre (NIC) was entrusted to develop a national portal ‘TrackChild’ which not only have data on ‘missing’ children but it also has live database to monitor the progress of the ‘found’ children covered under the ICPS and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
(e): TrackChild project have been implemented in all the States and Union Territories. The Ministry of Women and Child Development with the assistance of National Informatics Centre (NIC) have conducted training for Police personnel and ICPS functionaries including members of Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) & Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) on using TrackChild software across the country. State Governments/UT Administrations have been requested to instruct all police personnel, Child Care Institutions (includes Children Homes, Shelter Homes, Observation Homes, Special Homes, Open Shelters and Specialised Adoption Agencies) and members of the CWCs and JJBs to upload data of children on TrackChild portal. The implementation of TrackChild in the States is also being reviewed in the Project Approval Board (PAB) meetings held to sanction grant-in-aid under ICPS to the States/UTs.