The Union and the State Governments create new or independent Ministries, when the need for special priority or for better resource management arises. For long, the Union Water Resources Ministry was with the Power Ministry, named as the Ministry of Irrigation and
Power. Similarly, the Department of Women and Child Development of the Government of India came into existence as a separate Ministry since 2006.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment was formed in May, 1998. In October, 1999, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was formed.
Thus the Union Governments have been continuously evolving and re-designing its Ministries to respond to the special needs of the people of the country.
It is time that the reformist Prime Minister should bifurcated the Women and the Child Development Ministry and created an independent Child Development Ministry for faster elimination of infant and child mortality, accelerated child education and better protection of the children in the country.
This shall be one more step in the right direction in which the Union Government is moving to mitigate the issues of the children by amending the old Child labour Act and ratifying IlO’s 138 and 182 anti-child labour conventions.
Already the Centre has a Right to Education Act for the educational empowerment of the children, though its implementation is challenged by field level obstacles.
In fact, the Indian Government is more progressive in the world in its response to child development, in comparison to other nations of the world. In the first generation model, the child welfare was treated under social justice or family welfare or education subjects. In the second generation model, Women and Child Development Ministries were formed, treating children and women as separate entities from social justice or family welfare ideology. In the third generation model, child development should be treated independently as child rights have become an independent convention of the UN. But many nations have lagged behind.
Denmark has a Ministry called Ministry for Children, Education and Gender Equality. Canada has a Ministry for Families, Children and Social Development. Even the Nordic countries like Netherlands, Sweden, which are best known for their welfare models, do not have Child Ministries either independently or with some other Ministries.
Some nations treat child development under the education subject till now. Surprisingly, powerful nations like the UK, the USA, France, Germany and China do not have a Child Ministry at all. Their concern for children is questionable even though they have ratified the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. Among India’s neighbours, Pakistan does not have a Child Ministry whereas Sri lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have women and child welfare ministries. The developing nations like Brazil and Singapore have no Child Ministries. The state of affairs is disheartening in the world, though many rich nations comfortably criticize India as a backward nation and its Government as less pro-people.
Similarly, when we examine the situation of the States like Odisha, Maharashtra , West Bengal , Telengana and so on, they have women and child development ministries. In Andhra Pradesh, the department comes under the Ministry of SERP, Women Empowerment, Child Welfare, Disabled and Senior Citizens Welfare. But States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala do not have the Child Development Ministry. In Tamil Nadu, the child development department comes under the Ministry of Social Welfare. In Kerala, the child welfare department comes under the Social Justice Ministry.
It is interesting to notice that the child welfare or development concept have been still put under the social welfare or social justice ideologies, instead of getting independent ideology.
Since the State has the right to frame its ministries, the Center is not questioning on uniformity. But the concept of one nation-one form of Ministry should be encouraged by the Center especially in the child development sphere. It is high time that the State Governments, especially the Government of highly child vulnerable States like
Odisha, should create an independent Child Ministry to give better attention to the issues of children.
Why there is a need for independent Child Ministry at the Center and at the StatesIJ The rationale is similar to that of an independent Tribal Welfare Ministry. India is home to more than 472 million children under the age of 0-18 years, comprising 39 per cent of the country’s total population. India’s social progress ranking at the global level is severely diminished due to the presence of high IMR, child mortality and low access of children to primary - secondary education. By improving in the child development sphere, India’s overall social development ranking can be quite impressive in the global arena.
India has been already investing in reducing infant and child mortality, giving early childhood services and universalizing primary and secondary education, putting in place a national child policy and action plans and developing child protection mechanisms. It does not have to spend money in creating an independent ministry but can streamline and converge various ongoing efforts. The primar education, the secondary education, the ICDS, child health care components of national rural and urban heath missions and so on can be put under the Child Ministry.
When we consider the case of Odisha, there is an urgent need for creating an independent Child Welfare Ministry, though the State Government is progressive. As per 2011 census, the child (0-Rs 18 ) population is 36.52 per cent of the State population of which 49.09 per cent are girls. The child sex ratio has declined from 953 in 2001 to 941 in 2011, against 1,000 males. In recent days, the State Government’s reputation has been tarnished due to child deaths in the Nagada case and in Malkanagiri JE disease case. The infant mortality rate, child death rate , child dropout rate in schools, migrant children, child marriage and such related pressing issues demand an independent Child Ministry in Odisha. To start with, the Odisha Government should bifurcate the Secretariat of the WCD department and create an independent Secretary for Child Development. It should plan to create a separate Child Ministry taking various connected departments from other Ministries. This will build the image of Odisha Chief Minister at national level.