Budget allocation for child welfare grown to fourteen thousand crores: Smriti Irani

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has said that the government’s budget allocation for child welfare has grown from sixty crores in 2009-10 to fourteen thousand crores as of last year. Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day national annual stakeholders consultation on children in conflict with law in New Delhi, she said that from 2014 to 2023 the government has managed to provide assistance to over seven lakh children.

The Minister informed that under Mission Vatsalya, close to four lakh forty-six thousand missing children have been found. Mrs. Irani said, of which approximately three lakh ninety-seven thousand children have been successfully matched and reunited with their families.

Smriti Irani said the government has ensured the effective functioning of over five thousand five hundred Child Care Institutions (CCIs). She further added that over three thousand CCIs in the country receive the benefits of the government. Mrs. Irani said that two thousand six hundred children have been adopted since the Juvenile Justice Act amendment in 2021. Smriti Irani further highlighted the robust initiatives undertaken by the Modi Government to ensure the well-being of children through stronger legal support, improved healthcare, nutrition, and quality education.

The consultation is being organized by the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare. The consultation will take place on best practices followed in states and to further strengthen the justice system for children in conflict with the law.