4532 Children Received Benefits Under PM CARES For Children: Women And Child Development Minister

Under PM CARES for Children scheme, 4532 eligible children have received benefits so far, the government informed the Parliament on Wednesday. The scheme was introduced by the government to support children who lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 pandemic during the period from March 11, 2020 to May 5, 2023. The Ministry of Women and Child Development regularly follow up with all the stakeholders of the scheme so as to ensure its proper implementation; besides, a Help Desk has also formulated to keep in touch with these children, the government said.

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In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha to question raised by DMK MP M. Mohamed Abdulla regarding the steps adopted by the Central government to prevent potentially exposed unregistered children who have lost their primary caregivers to COVID-19 from falling into the hands of human trafficking rackets or forced labor, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said about PM CARES for Children scheme, provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Centrally Sponsored
Scheme called ‘Mission Vatsalya’, and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and its portal
Bal Swaraj.

Minister detailed the steps taken by the NCPCR to combat trafficking. NCPCR in association with the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) conducts sensitisation workshops for all the stakeholders responsible for dealing with issues of child trafficking in the identified bordering and adjoining districts. In these meetings, “the commission propagates the 5M strategy viz. Meeting, Mapping, Matching, Mobilizing and Monitoring all the vulnerable children based on the indicators of vulnerability at the District, Block Village and Gram Panchayat level,” minister said.

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Besides, NCPCR runs a periodic campaign to prevent and combat child trafficking. The Commission has also a formulated Quick Response Cell (QRC) to deal with instance of children getting trafficked or missing as reported to the Commission.

“Quick action is initiated within 1st Hour of reporting to ensure speedy rescue, release, repatriation, rehabilitation, and re-integration of children who have fallen in the clutches of traffickers. The Commission provides technical assistance and support towards Vulnerability Mapping of Children and families who are at risk of trafficking,” Minister added.