Parliament Question: Mission Vatsalya Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 937 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.07.2025 MISSION VATSALYA SCHEME

937. SHRI SELVAM G:

SHRI C N ANNADURAI:

SHRI NAVASKANI K:

SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is implementing the Mission Vatsalya Scheme for the welfare and rehabilitation of children in difficult circumstances across the country including Tamil Nadu;

(b) if so, the objectives/key components of the Mission Vatsalya Scheme indicating the manner in which it aligns with the vision of ensuring child protection, care and development;

(c) whether any strategy/ roadmap has been formulated to give priority to child protection under Mission Vatsalya, if so, the details thereof;

(d) the details of the financial assistance allocated/released to the said State under the said scheme during the last three years and the current year;

(e) the number of children benefited under the scheme in the said State, district-wise, during the said period; and

(f) the number and types of Child Care Institutions and Specialized Adoption Agencies supported under Mission Vatsalya in the said State? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (c) : Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely ‘Mission Vatsalya’ in all States/ UTs including Tamil Nadu onpredefined cost sharing basis between the Central and the State Governments to deliver various services for children in difficult circumstances which include institutional care and non-institutional care services.

The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to ensure that the best interests of children are always taken care of while designing the projects/ programmes. It includes establishing essential services, emergency outreach services for children and include strengthening of institutional and non-institutional care services.

Mission Vatsalya Scheme provides for setting up of statutory and service delivery structures at State and District level for achieving goals for children living in difficult conditions. Under Mission Vatsalya Scheme, namely State Child Protection Society

(SCPS) and State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) are set up in every States/ UTs and Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board and District Child Protection Unit in the districts.

The Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme support, inter-alia, age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. Support under non-institutional care is provided by way of sponsorship, foster care and after care to children in need of care and protection.

Mission Vatsalya Scheme is a roadmap to achieve priorities of child development and child protection aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. It lays emphasis on child rights, advocacy and awareness along with strengthening of the juvenile justice care and protection system.

(d) : The details of funds released under Mission Vatsalya Scheme during the last three

years and current year to the State of Tamil Nadu are as follows : (Rs. in Crore) 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 (As on 17.07.2025)

51.03 128.70 122.82 0

(e) : Number of children supported under Mission Vatsalya scheme for the State of Tamil Nadu under Institutional and Non-Institutional Care services during last three years is as

follows :

Children supported under Children supported under Institutional Care Non-Institutional Care (Sponsorship/Foster Care/ After Care) 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 7785 10118 12438 2975 5411 8116 (As on 31.03.2025)District-wise number of children is not maintained centrally.

(f) : Number and types of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) in State of Tamil Nadu supported under Mission Vatsalya are as follows:

Children Open Specialised Observation Special Observation Place of Home Shelter Adoption Home Home Home-cum- Safety Agency Special Home 266 11 19 11 4 0 2 (As on 31.03.2025) *****