Jammu, Dec 11:
Secretary Social Welfare Department, Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone, today chaired the third Executive Committee meeting of State Child Protection Society (SCPS) during which annual budget for implementation of Juvenile Justice System was approved. The meeting took several major decisions, including immediate setting up of Shelter Homes in rented buildings at Jammu and Srinagar till their own infrastructure is built. It was informed that the government has already identified land at Jammu for construction of 2 Shelter Homes one each for girls and 1 for boys and the PWD department has prepared the necessary DPRs. The budget for the year 2018-19 and also the budget proposal for 2019-20 were approved during the meeting. The children homes for boys and girls presently run by the government shall be upgraded and for providing more facilities to inmates. During the next financial year, more Shelter Homes shall come up in other main cities of the State for children-in-need of care and protection. For providing support to the families which are incapacitated to take care of their children including education shall be provided with Rs 2000 per month financial assistance, even as over 1200 children are covered under the scheme during the current year . For the next financial year 3000 children shall be benefitted. Earlier, Mission Director ICPS, G A Sofi, highlighted the initiatives taken by ICPS for child protection and action taken with regard to previous meetings, which was appreciated by the Committee. The meeting was attended by Director General, Social Welfare Kashmir, Rukhsana Gani, Additional Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Babu Ram, Director Social Welfare Jammu, Dr Bharat Bushan, Mission Director, ICDS, Veer Ji Hangloo, Director JKSWDC, Naheed Soz, Director Finance, Social Welfare Department, Abdul Majeed Bhat and other senior officers of Social Welfare Department and JKSCPS.
