Parliament Question: Status of Vatsalya Sadan

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *499 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 STATUS OF VATSALYA SADAN *499. SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

SHRI MAHESH KASHYAP:

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

(a) Whether the Government has fully digitized the Child Adoption Resource lnformation and Guidance System (CARINGS) with the objective of making the child adoption process more transparent, simplified and “face-less”;

(b) if so, the current status thereof indicating the number of children adopted through the said system in the country specifically in Chhattisgarh;

(c) whether the Government is promoting non-institutional care such as Sponsorship, Foster Care and After-Care, as an alternative to traditional arrangements for child care, if so, the details of the children benefitted thereunder in the country including the said region;

(d) the current status of "Vatsalya Sadan" (Integrated Homes) including specialized training provided to staff for handling children who violated law under the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Child Act, 2015;

(e) whether the Government has successfully integrated the Child Helpline (1098) with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) for police and medical intervention at a faster pace, if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the impact of the 'PM-CARES for Children' scheme in providing a comprehensive support ecosystem (including education and health insurance) for children who lost parents/guardian during the pandemic? ANSWER MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNAPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (f): A statement is laid on the table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTs (a) TO (f) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *499 FOR ANSWER ON 27.03.2026 RAISED BY SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY AND SHRI MAHESH KASHYAP REGARDING ‘STATUS OF VATSALYA SADAN’

(a) & (b): The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the revamped Mission Vatsalya Portal which is an integrated Digital platform for all the stakeholders related to child protection services. Mission Vatsalya portal is a technologically upgraded secure portal which provides digital working platform for various stakeholders across different levels at State and district. The adoption portal CARINGS has also been brought under this unified portal.

The key features of Mission Vatsalya Portal include single digital platform for use by the Stakeholders i.e. State Child Protection Society, State Adoption Resource Agency at State level and District Child Protection Unit, Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board, Special Juvenile Police Unit at District level and Child Care Institutions.

The Government has simplified its policy pertaining to adoption under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Amendment Rules, 2022 and the Adoption Regulations, 2022.

To reduce delays and ensure transparency, entire adoption process has been digitized through an online CARINGS portal, with regular monitoring and follow-ups with States and UTs. An Identification Cell has also been set up since July 2024 to identify adoptable children in Child Care Institutions and expedite their declaration as legally free for adoption. The Adoption Regulations, 2022, under Schedule XIV read with Regulations 46 and 50, prescribe the timelines to be adhered to by the authorities and agencies involved in the adoption process.

As per the information available on CARINGS portal for 2025-26, a total of 4499 children were adopted through the portal including 4153 in-country and 346 inter-country adoptions.

During the year 2025-26, in-country and inter-country adoptions in the State of Chhattisgarh were 95 and 7 respectively.

(c) to (e): This Ministry is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely ‘Mission Vatsalya’, through the State and UT Governments to deliver various services including the Institutional Care and Non-Institutional Care for Children in Need of Care and Protection

(CNCP) as well as Children in Conflict with Law (CCL).

Mission Vatsalya promotes family based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalization of children as a measure of last resort. Financial support of Rs. 4000/- is provided to the children eligible for non-institutional care through Sponsorship, Foster Care, Adoption and After Care under the scheme. During FY 2024-25, a total of 1,70,895 children were benefitted under Mission Vatsalya including 1550 Children in the State of Chhattisgarh.

Under the Mission Vatsalya Scheme, a total of 69 Vatsalya Sadans, an integrated, state-of- the-art residential complex to house CCIs, JJBs and CWCs, across the country has been approved by the Ministry based on the proposals received from States and UT governments.During the financial year 2025-26, Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development (SPNIWCD), an autonomous body under the Ministry, has organised a total of 153 training programme focusing on critical aspects of child welfare, protection and rehabilitation, thereby strengthening its commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of children.

Under Mission Vatsalya Scheme, States and Districts are mandated to implement a 24x7x365 Child Helpline service (1098) for children as defined under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015. Child Helpline has been integrated with the Emergency Response Support System-112 (ERSS-112) helpline of Ministry of Home Affairs and is functional in all 36 States and Union Territories. States and Union Territories are also mandated to establish Child helpdesk at Railway Stations and Bus Stands as part of the Child helpline.

(f) The Hon'ble Prime Minister announced PM CARES for Children scheme on 29.05.2021 to support children who lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 pandemic during 11.03.2020 to 05.05.2023. The objective of the Scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection to Children in a sustained manner and enable their well-being through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self- sufficient existence with financial support till 23 years of age. Benefits under the Scheme have been given to 4543 eligible children so far.

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