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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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
