Government releases guidelines for Mission Vatsalya

Context

Recently, the Women and Child Development Ministry released guidelines in order to access Central funds and benefits under Mission Vatsalya.

In the guidelines, states have been mandated to retain the official and original name of the Mission Vatsalya, in order to access Central funds and benefits.

States have been mandated to comply with each guideline or instruction issued by the ministry for the Scheme.
Guidelines on Mission Vatsalaya also talks about the process in detail, through which funds will be given to states by defining institutionalised arrangements.
State governments are mandated to engage in exercise to provide grades to child care institutions (CCI) at fixed intervals.

Grading will be done on the basis of quality of services, infrastructure, wellbeing of children with respect to health & education, as well as restoration & rehabilitation of children.

The staff in special units will have to know sign language, Braille, etc, according to the new guidelines.
Based on gender (including separate homes for transgender children) and age will be established for children in need of care, as well as for special needs children.
Recognising that many districts do not have facilities to receive infants who are abandoned and vulnerable to be trafficked, the Mission envisages setting up cradle baby reception centres in at least one specialised adoption agency in a district.
Guidelines state that Mission Vatsalya will support State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA), which will support the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in promoting in-country adoption and regulating inter-country adoption.

SARA shall coordinate, monitor and develop the work related to non-institutional care including adoption in the state.

It is an umbrella scheme for child protection services in the country.
The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in the country.
It promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalisation of children as a measure of last resort.
It will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with state governments and UT administrations, with a fund-sharing pattern in a 60:40 ratio.

For the eight states in the Northeast as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir the Centre and state/UT’s share will be 90:10.
The Centre will cover the whole cost in UTs without a legislature.

Mission Vatsalya, in partnership with states and districts, will execute a 24×7 helpline service for children, as defined under JJ Act, 2015.
Components under Mission Vatsalya include: