In a significant step towards ensuring welfare for orphaned children, District Magistrate (DM) Kishtwar, Rajesh Kumar Shavan chaired a meeting of the Sponsorship and Foster Care Approval Committee (SFCAC) today.
The meeting focused on deliberations and approvals of new cases under the welfare schemes aimed at providing financial support to orphans. The Committee approved 23 new cases, taking the total number of beneficiaries under these schemes to 223, against a target of 201.
The committee had earlier approved 200 cases following a meticulous verification process. The focus of the discussion revolved around saturating the target and ensuring that no eligible child is left out of the benefits provided under these schemes.
The Sponsorship and Foster Care Schemes, implemented under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), aim to provide financial assistance to children in need of care and protection. The Sponsorship Scheme provides monetary support to families or guardians to ensure proper upbringing of children, while the Foster Care Scheme allows children to live with foster families, ensuring a nurturing environment for their holistic development.
DM Kishtwar emphasized the importance of achieving 100% saturation of the target to extend the benefits of these schemes to all eligible orphans in the district. He directed the committee to ensure the inclusion of every orphan in Kishtwar under the schemes and instructed for robust verification to eliminate any discrepancies.
Besides the participants discussed strategies for effective implementation and evolving workable follow-up mechanisms for the schemes. The committee decided to streamline the application process further and ensure timely disbursal of benefits.
The meeting was attended by the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) Zubair Ahmed, Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), and other committee members. Representatives from stakeholder agencies and NGOs running orphanages in the district were also present.