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In a significant move to address the needs of vulnerable children who have run away from home, missing, trafficked, engaged in labour, begging or struggling with addiction, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to establish 35 new shelter homes across Uttar Pradesh.
These shelter homes will be built by the Women and Child Development department in 19 different districts, including 18 divisional headquarters of the state. Substantial efforts have been undertaken at the government level to make this initiative a reality and an amount of Rs 400 crore is proposed by the department.
The government is committed to considering children as a paramount national asset and to fostering a compassionate ecosystem for their well-being. The primary goal is to ensure a wholesome and joyful childhood for underprivileged and disadvantaged children in the state.
Many existing child shelter facilities, whether rented or government-owned, suffer from unsatisfactory conditions, such as deteriorating buildings, cramped living spaces and inadequate infrastructure relative to their capacity. Consequently, the government is embarking on the construction of new shelters designed to provide open-air rooms and spaces for activities like yoga, exercise, sports and gardening. Additionally, these facilities will offer child care homes, observation homes, justice boards, superintendents’ residences and wardens’ residences.
The Women and Child Development department is proposing the construction of 12 shelter homes for girls, one for boys, six for infants and specialised adoption units, 11 observation homes for adolescents and five integrated homes. The Yogi government intends to establish at least one shelter home of each category in every division of the state.
The Women and Child Development department recently presented a detailed plan to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, highlighting the critical need for these new facilities. Many existing girls’ homes, with a nominal capacity of 300, are currently accommodating approximately 485 girls, resulting in overcrowding.
Similarly, observation homes designed for 1,250 children are also overpopulated. This overcrowding has led to adverse effects on children’s education, healthcare, skill development, life skills and their mental, physical and emotional well-being. Hence, the construction of new shelter homes is imperative. Currently, around 7,000 children are being cared for in the state through 183 government and voluntary organisations.
In the proposed government shelters, a girls’ home with a capacity of 100 will be established in Agra, along with children’s homes and a juvenile observation home, each with a capacity of 100 in Aligarh. Furthermore, there will be a infants’ home with a capacity of 50 in Azamgarh, along with a balika grih with a capacity of 100 and both a bal grih and a juvenile observation home with capacities of 100 each in Prayagraj.
Apart from this, integrated shelter homes with a capacity of 300 will be constructed in Lucknow and Bareilly, there will be girls’ homes and juvenile observation homes, each with a capacity of 100, in addition to a shishu grih with a capacity of 50. In Meerut, there will be shishu grih with a capacity of 50, along with girls’ homes and juvenile observation homes, each with a capacity of 100.
Similarly, in Saharanpur, there will be girls’ homes and juvenile observation homes, both with capacities of 100 each. The same arrangement will apply to Moradabad, where girls’ homes and juvenile observation homes.
An integrated shelter house with a capacity of 275 will be established in Varanasi. In Mirzapur, there will be girls' homes and juvenile observation homes, each with a capacity of 100.
Furthermore, an integrated shelter house with a capacity of 350 will be constructed in Gorakhpur. Girl’s home and juvenile observation home with capacity of 100 wach will be set up in Basti and Jhansi, along with a shishu grih with a capacity of 50 and specialist adoption agency with a capacity of 50 in Kanpur.
An integrated shelter home with a capacity of 375 will be built in Ayodhya and in Devipatan, there will be girls’ homes and a juvenile observation home each with a capacity of 100. In Chitrakoot, girls’ homes, a juvenile observation home and a shishu grih, each with capacities of 100, will be built. Moreover, an integrated shelter home with a capacity of 310 will be established in Amethi.