In order to promote the cause of children to excel in different fields and strengthen the juvenile justice system in Odisha, the Centre has been urged to set up an exclusive Juvenile Justice Academy in the State.

The Odisha Government has recently approached the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD) to allow such an institution in the State.

With setting up of such an institution, the juvenile justice system would get a boost as the State Government is trying to make the justice system robust to help the children below the age of 16, says the State Government.

Union Minister Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi is reportedly inclined to favour Odisha in this respect.

The State Government has approached the MoWCD for the institution to make “A World Fit For Children”, a slogan being chanted now worldwide.

While the State Government has created a Juvenile Justice Fund (JJF), the Union Government is to make provisions so that funding to the JJF would be exempted from Income Tax. Under Rule 83 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016,  the JJF needs to be exempted from Income Tax.

Once JJF is exempted from Income Tax, it would attract more resources from persons and institutions, said an official.

The State Government has also brought it to the notice of the MoWCD that funds flow has gone down to the State under various Centrally-sponsored programmes. This would harm the interest of children as construction of new Observation and Special Homes for the children are not being undertaken due to paucity of funds.

The Project Approval Board of the MoWCD had approved these homes in 2016-17 to be constructed at Boudh, Kalahandi, Malkangiri and other places. However, no funds have been received by the State Government for the purpose. State Government has urged the MoWCD to release funds for these new institutions so that construction works can be undertaken at an early date, said an official.

In order to protect the interest of children in block and gram panchayat level, Child Protection Committees have been formed for better coordination between grassroots level functionaries of the line departments.

No fund for such activities is flowing from the Centre under the Child Protection Services which was earlier covered under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.

So, the State Government has requested the MoWCD to provide funds for protecting children’s interest in the village level.