States submit plans on child welfare funds

The Centre made the submission in the apex court when the court was hearing a PIL filed based on a 2007 newspaper report alleging that orphanages in Tamil Nadu’s Mahabalipuram, run by NGOs and government institutions, were allegedly involved in systematic sexual abuse of children. 

The government told a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta that the Centre has communicated with the states and UTs about utilisation of funds allotted to them and the project approval board would hold a meeting in April to discuss the issue. 

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the Centre, said this after the bench asked if the states and UTs have drawn up a plan on utilisation of the funds given by the Central government under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme. “Communications were sent to states and UTs to submit their plans. Plans have started to come. Union of India will have a meeting this month to discuss and approve the plans,” Singh told the bench. 

Meanwhile, an advocate, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, told the court that around 2.61 lakh children were residing in 8,500 children homes across the country.