SC: Take immediate steps to identify, rehabilitate children in street situations

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday said the process of identifying children in street stations , adversely hit by COVID-19 pandemic, is at a very slow pace and directed the states and union territories (UTs) to take immediate steps to identify such children and rehabilitate then without waiting for its directions.

A bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai, hearing a sup motu case about the children who are adversely affected by the pandemic by losing either one or both the parents, said that there might be lakhs of children in street situations in the country.

The top court took note of the affidavit of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which had conducted meetings with the state and UTs, on e issue such as identification and rehabilitation of such children.

The data provided by the state governments in respect of the scheme of rehabilitation for such children has been placed on record. Looking at the number of the children in street situations' who have been identified, it appears that the process of identification is at slow pace, the bench noted in its order.

It said when the matter was brought to the notice on November 15 by NGO Save the Children which had reported that there were two lakh such children in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi.

There might be lakhs of children in street situation in the remaining parts of the country who need to be rescued and rehabilitated, it said.

The state governments/UTs are directed to take immediate action for identifying children in street situation without any delay. The required information shall be uploaded on the web portal of the NCPCR (Baal Swaraj). The concerned authorities of the state government/UTs need not wait for any further direction from NCPCR or from this court.., it ordered.