2,450 child care homes in country, 199 cater to children with special needs: Govt
New Delhi(PTI): There are 2,450 child care institutions (CCIs) across the country and 199 of them cater to children with special needs, Minister of State for Women and Child Development (WCD) Savitri Thakur said on Friday.
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, she said 12 states and union territories have no such institutions for children with special needs.
Out of the total 2,450 CCIs established across the country under Mission Vatsalya, 199 institutions cater to children with special needs, Thakur said.
According to the Mission Vatsalya guidelines, a CCI having a capacity of 50 children can have a special unit for 10 children with special needs. Similarly, a CCI with a capacity of 25 children can have a special unit for five children.
Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat and Odisha are among 12 states and union territories that do not have any CCI for children with special needs.
Meanwhile, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi said in a written response to a question that 23 states and union territories have enacted various Acts on the prevention of beggary.
"Also, 15 states have their own administrative schemes to tackle the challenge of beggary," she said.
Responding to another question, Devi said according to WCD Ministry data from December 2024, only 7.50 crore children up to 5 years were enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on the Poshan Tracker.
She said 7.18 crore of these children were measured on growth parameters of
height and weight.
Of these, 39.68 per cent of them were found to be stunted, 17.22 per cent underweight and 5.5 per cent wasted, she said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
