Govt asks committee to identify orphaned, abandoned children in villages for support

New Delhi: The WCD Ministry has asked the Child Welfare and Protection Committee to identify in villages orphans and street children who may be in need of help, a senior government official said. Such children will be helped with sponsorship, foster care, and adoption offered under the Mission Vatsalya Scheme, the official from the Women and Child Development ministry said.

"Sponsorship facilities will be provided to these Children as per recommendation of CWC and approved by the Sponsorship and Foster Care Approval Committee (SFCAC). States/UTs will be requested accordingly to extend facilities of sponsorship to the eligible children," the official said.

Under sponsorship, vulnerable children living with extended families/biological relatives will be helped with money to allow them to pay for their education, nutrition, and health needs, the official said.

The sponsorship will be of two types - government-aided sponsorship and private-aided, the official said.

In case of a foster care arrangement, the responsibility of the child will be undertaken by an unrelated family for his or her rehabilitation and the foster parents will be extended financial support to raise the child.

Children who leave a child care institution upon turning 18 years of age will be helped with money to integrate into the mainstream.

Such support may be given from age 18 to 21, extendable up to age 23, to allow them to become self-dependent, the official said.