Punjab Government on Tuesday issued instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners of the State to immediately shut down unregistered Child Care Institutions not governed by Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, running in their respective districts.
The instructions were issued by the State Social Security Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani while presiding over a state-level meeting of the senior officers of the department, District Programme Officers, District Child Development and Protection Officers and Superintendent Homes.
Taking serious view of the number of unregistered institutes running flouting security norms posing great threat to the lives of children, Jayani issued strict instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners to identify such institutes in their respective districts and order immediate closure of these institutes.
Jayani made it clear that the Punjab Government was committed to provide infallible security to the children who are admitted to the Child Protection Institutes across the State.
To give a new look to the existing childcare and observation homes, the Minister has directed the senior officers to provide sports kits, music systems in these homes so that the children could be bent towards sports and religious activities making them both morally and physically strong.
“A special periodic section and a library equipped with inspiring books such as biographies of famous personalities, newspapers and other reading material would also be established in each home,” he said.
He asked the district officers to prepare extensive individual care plans for the children. There were as many as 1096 homeless children waiting for adoption, he said.
To abolish child labour from the State, Jayani asked the officers to strictly check underage children indulging in arduous jobs. “Social security department jointly with the labour department has constituted a committee to check child labour and rescued about 300 children mainly working at eateries,” he said.