Women and Child Development department, in coordination with various district administrations, has embarked upon the task of providing essential supplies to orphanages and children’s homes across the State, in view of the difficulties faced by them during the current lockdown.
Several of these homes, referred to as child care institutions (CCI) by the department, are unable to get their supplies in bulk owing to the present curfew-like situation.
A large majority of these homes are run by NGOs and philanthropic organisations, while a few are government-run. As per the data collated by the department, there are a total of 446 CCIs across the State, of which 48 are State-run institutions, and 398 are privately run by NGOs.
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The task of collating information regarding these institutions was deputed to District Welfare Officers, District Child Protection Officers and Balaraksha Bhavan coordinators as soon as the lockdown began.
“An online reporting mechanism was developed at the commissionerate level, where in a format needs to be filled with details such as the number of children present at each home, requirement of ration, medicines, sanitary supplies, and passes for caretakers, to name a few,” an official from the department informed.
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The format lists a total of 11 kinds of institutions, including children’s homes, observation homes, special homes, homes for the differently-abled, for children with multiple disabilities, children with cerebral palsy, children with HIV and AIDS, children with speech, hearing and other disabilities, and specialised adoption agencies. Homes for the aged too have been added to the list.
Most of the CCIs were already inspected by the child protection officers who issued necessary directions with regard to the precautions to be taken in view of COVID-19 spread . DWOs have assumed the charge of all the 48 government-run institutions, while among those run by the NGOs, 174 have sought help, he said.