Mission Vatsalya Scheme: Background, Vision and Objectives

• Mission Vatsalya has been launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to ensure the safety of children in India.
• “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme for the welfare and rehabilitation of children run from the year 2009-10.
• States/Union Territories signed Memorandum of Understanding/MoU with the Ministry for the implementation of the scheme.
• Mission Vatsalya was implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme as per the cost sharing ratio decided between the Central and State/Union Territory Governments.

Background of Mission Vatsalya

Before the year 2009-10, three schemes were started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development which were –

1. Juvenile justice programs for children in need of care and protection and those in conflict with the law.
2. Integrated program for street children.
3. Scheme to help children’s homes.

• In the year 2010, these three schemes were merged by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which was named Integrated Child Protection Services Scheme.
• The name of the Child Protection Service Scheme was changed in the year 2017.
• Year 2021-22: Rebranded as Mission Vatsalya.

Vision

• To ensure a healthy and happy childhood for every child in India, to provide them opportunities to explore their full potential, to provide support for development in every sphere, to create a sensitive, supportive and contemporary eco-system for them In which they can have full development.
• “Mission Vatsalya” promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult situations based on the principle of institutionalization of children as a last resort.

Mission

• To foster a sensitive, supportive and synchronous ecosystem for children as they move through different ages and stages of their progress.
• This is envisaged to be done by strengthening the institutional framework of Child Welfare and Protection Committees and statutory and service delivery structures in all the States of the country. While children living in difficult situations are to be addressed by statutory and service delivery structures, equal emphasis is to be given to child welfare and protection issues at the community level integrated with local development plans and associated budgets.
• The mission aims to:
  • Providing and continuing to support children in difficult situations;
  • To develop context-based solutions for holistic development of children from diverse backgrounds;
  • To provide scope to encourage innovative solutions;
  • Strengthening convergence action

Objective of Vatsalya Scheme

Mission Vatsalya has the following objectives-

• To give priority to children in the scheme of administration by keeping the child at the center during all the activities and works undertaken under the Mission.
• Taking positive action to ensure the best interests of the child and their right to grow up in a happy family environment, including strong social safety nets to support families, when designing or delivering projects and programmes.
• To ensure children’s right to survival, development, protection and participation.
•   Establish essential services at the national, regional, state and district levels and strengthen emergency access, non-institutional care within the family and community, and institutional care counseling and support services.
• To ensure appropriate inter-regional response at all levels, coordinate and network with all associated systems to promote convergence efforts for seamless service delivery to children.
• Strengthening child protection at family and community level, enabling families and communities to identify risks and vulnerabilities affecting children, creating and supporting preventive measures to protect children from situations of vulnerability, risk and abuse to promote.
• To encourage private sector participation and initiatives to support children within the framework of the law.

Financial Support

• Mission Vatsalya Scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments and Union Territories with a fund-sharing pattern in the ratio of 60:40.
• For the eight North-Eastern states as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the share between the Center and the State/UT will be 90:10.
• Will cover the entire cost in Union Territories without legislature.
• The transfer of funds to the states will be approved through the Mission Vatsalya Project Approval Board (PAB).

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