STRONG VOLUNTARY SUPPORT AND SENSITISED
GOVERNMENT MACHINERY MUST FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT - JAS KAUR MEENA
MEET
ON NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR CHILDREN
The Minister of State
for Women & Child Development Smt. Jas Kaur Meena today strongly
exhorted the voluntary sector to concentrate on remote, backward
areas so as to serve the most deprived children. They should shun
the tendency to compete with the government machinery or sister
organisation or to run after funds. On the other hand, she said,
the government machinery dealing with social issues, especially
relating to women and children, should be highly sensitive towards
people’s problems and should work closely with non-governmental
organisations.
Sharing her experiences
in Rajasthan and the North East, the Minister said that the benefits
of official schemes do not reach the intended beneficiaries because
of lack of trust between the voluntary and governmental sectors
on one hand and bureaucratic approach adopted by the official
machinery on the other.
Smt. Meena was
addressing the representatives of north-Indian States, NGOs and
international organisations who have gathered here for consultation
on the National Plan of Action for Children.
Secretary,
Women and Child Development Dr. R.V.V. Ayyar gave details of the
initiatives taken by the Department leading to coordinated efforts
towards child development. He informed that a bill is likely to
be introduced in the coming session of Parliament on setting up
of a National Commission for Children.
The National Plan
of Action for Children is being formulated to achieve certain
qualitative and quantitative goals for development of children
by 2010. The UN General Assembly Special Session on Children,
held last year, had set goals to be achieved by 2010, in the areas
of child health and education, against abuse and for combating
AIDS among children. In addition, the government has set targets
to be achieved in the current Five Year Plan, i.e. by 2007. The
National Plan of Action for Children will harmonise these and
also the commitments made under the Convention on the Rights of
the Child. This was one of the initiatives announced by the Prime
Minister in his independence day address last year.
A series of strategies have been
identified for achieving the goals. A draft National Plan of Action
for Children has been drawn up by the Department of Women and
Child Development in consultation with other ministries and experts.
A Working Group was also constituted, with four thematic groups
to deal with early childhood care, health, education and special
protection measures. The Working Group has given its recommendations,
and views of experts and States have also been received on the
draft Plan of Action. The present regional consultation meeting
is the first regional meet to discuss face-to-face the draft Plan
of Action with NGOs and States, to be followed by a Southern region
consultation.
The Plan of Action seeks to address
children’s problems by synergising various schemes in operation.
It breaks the goals down to specific action points and comes out
with strategies to achieve them.
