Rehabilitation of Orphaned/Distressed Children
A> Rescue operations and grievance redressals by DCPCR (Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights)
331 child labourers were rescued in 2020-21 compared to 202 in the previous 3 years: DCPCR.
- Anurag Kundu, Chairperson of DCPCR, said the commission was able, as of 15th April 2021 to conduct rescue operations due to efficient citizen reporting through DCPCR’s WhatsApp number. He added that DCPCR also has a scheme through which those reporting incidents were offered rewards.
As of 22nd Aug 2021, grievance redressal by DCPCR had disposed of nearly 5000 cases from April 2020 to Jun 2021 – this is higher than the total cases disposed of in the preceding 10 years!
- Since the launch of the DCPCR Helpline in April 2021, ~85% complaints were resolved in 1 day & 100% in 3 days. (Source: https://twitter.com/AnuragKunduAK/status/1429495159520063488)
10th Nov 2021 – In just 7 months, @DCPCR Helpline handled 1.5 lakh distress calls to help children who lost parent(s), child labour reports, non-receipt of ration entitlements, inaccessible care for pregnant women & newborn during lockdown, children’s routine immunisation, & EWS/DG admission. (Source: Tweet by Anurag Kundu, Chairperson, DCPCR)
B> Child Care Institutes
The Delhi government’s Child Care Institutes provide both child care (Nutritious food, education and recreational facilities) and child rights protection. Orphaned kids, as well as children rescued from child labour by DCPCR (Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights) and NGOs, are brought to these centres by the Child Welfare Dept.
13th Nov 2021 – Rajendra Pal Gautam, Delhi’s Social Welfare Minister, lists out the facilities provided in Delhi’s Child Care Institutes:
C> Residential School for Homeless Children
On 26th Mar 2022, on the occasion of the presentation of the annual budget, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the setting up of a state-of-the-art residential school for homeless children.
This first-of-its-kind initiative in the country will provide psychological/emotional support and round the clock nurturing to these children.
It is hoped that this initiative will have a transformative effect in pulling them out of destitution and into the mainstream.
The project hopes to give them a life of respectability and mould them into responsible citizens of the future.
“I would like to commend Arvind Kejriwal bhai and Manish Sisodia bhai for the boarding school for homeless children initiative announced at Delhi Budget 2022. I applaud their efforts in introducing the Happiness Curriculum to standing by the most neglected children.” – Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate & Child Rights Activist, 27th Mar 2022 (Link)
Rehabilitation of beggars
There were 20,719 persons engaged in the act of begging (PEAB) in Delhi (including 10987 men, 9541 women, 191 transgenders), according to a survey done in Feb 2021 by Social Welfare Department and Institute for Human Development.
The AAP Delhi government aims to make Delhi beggar-free by creating livelihood opportunities through training and skill-building, counselling to be self-dependent, yoga and spiritual sessions, access to legal aid, so that all can lead a life of dignity.
- The Delhi Government launched a pilot project to rehabilitate beggars by providing them vocational training.
- The AAP govt has opened 2 skill training centres for beggars.
- Trainees are given a stipend of Rs.50, Rs.100 per day during first and second months respectively
- Conducted at Ashray Griha (DUSIB Night shelters) at Roshanara Road separately for men and women
- Women are trained on food processing (jam, jelly, pickle) and men are trained on wall painting and mobile repair by Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan for three months.
- Pilot project involved 25 men and 25 women
The plan is to replicate this project in all Delhi districts in collaboration with various State, Union departments and NGOs.
Drug De-addiction
On 31st July 2021, the AAP Delhi government opened a drug de-addiction centre called ‘Suryodaya Kendra’. It is a one-stop centre for drug de-addiction that will aid the overall wellbeing of people who have a problem of drug and substance abuse (which includes both adults and children) and provide skill-based learning to them.
- The plan is to open such a centre in every district in the long term.
₹7.2 crore has been allocated under the Suryodaya scheme.
Disability Rehabilitation
- In 2020-2021, the Mukhyamantri Divyangjan Punarvas Sewa Yojana, with an outlay of Rs 10 crore, was launched to rehabilitate accident victims, people suffering from stroke or similarly debilitating ailments and those with permanent or partial disabilities through ailments.
In the 2021-22 budget, the AAP government proposed a new social welfare initiative – a District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC) to be set up in each district in Delhi, to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities at the district level.
