The Punjab government has issued instructions to all the deputy commissioners of the state to immediately shut down the unregistered Child Care Institutions not governed by Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 running in their respective districts.Presiding over a state level meeting of the senior officers of the department of Social Security, District Programme Officers, District Child Development and Protection Officers and Superintendent Homes , Social Security Minister Mr. Surjit Kumar Jayani said that the Punjab government was committed to provide infallible security to the children who are admitted to the Child Protection Institutes across the state. Taking serious view of the number of unregistered institutes running flouting security norms posing great threat to the lives of children, Mr. Jayani has issued strict instructions to all the deputy commissioners to identify such institutes in their respective districts and order immediate closure of these institutes.
To give a new look to the existing child care and observation homes, the Minister has directed the senior officers to provide sports kits, music systems in the child care homes so that the children could be bent towards sports and religious activities making them both morally and physically strong. He said that a special periodic section and a Library equipped with inspiring books such as biographies of famous personalities, newspapers and other reading material would also be established in each home. Advocating the adoption system, the Minister emphasized on the need of encouraging childless couples to adopt homeless children so that they could get proper homes instead of foster homes. He asked the district officers to prepare extensive Individual Care Plans for the children. There were as many as 1096 homeless children waiting for adoption, he said.To abolish child labour from Punjab, Mr. Jayani asked the officers to strictly check underage children indulging in arduous jobs. He said that social security department jointly with the Labour department has constituted a committee to check child labour and rescued about 300 children mainly working at eateries.
Addressing the meeting Secretary Social Security Mr. Jaspal Singh has asked the district officers to ensure wages paid to those appointed on daily wages according to the Minimum Wages Act. He has also asked the officers to upload the data of the Track Child System so that online monitoring system could be ensured. He apprised the CDPOs of Mohali , Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala have been asked to devise a Performa for online monitoring of each child admitted in the Child Protection Homes.Director Social Security Mr. Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said the officers to submit pending Home Study reports. He also said that an extensive survey would be conducted to identify the destitute children, deserted women widows so that they could be sent to state run protection Homes. He also said that as many as 220 school drop out children were sent to the Open Schools.Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Mr. Rajneesh Jasra and Mr. Gurjinder Mour deputy directors.