National Policy For Children

The first National Policy for Children, 1974 recognised that programmes for children should find prominent place in national plans and laid emphasis on equal opportunities for the development of all children during the period of growth and development.

The National Charter for Children, 2003 adopted on 9th February 2004, emphasized the need for State obligation, underlined the intent to secure for every child its inherent right to be a child and enjoy a healthy and happy childhood, and need to adopt a rights-based approach in protecting and promoting the rights of all children.

The current National Policy for Children, 2012 affirms the State’s commitment to the rights based approach, to ensure that all children grow in an environment with respect for their dignity and are free from any discrimination, violence, exploitation, exclusion and have equal opportunities for developing to their fullest potential.

This Policy applies to all children below 18 years of age. This Policy is to guide and inform all laws, policies, plans and programmes affecting children in all sectors. All actions and initiatives of the national, state and local Government in all sectors must respect and uphold the principles and provisions of this Policy.

Key Principles

The State is obliged to ensure the right of every child to a life of dignity which will include (but not be limited to) the right to survival, health, nutrition, shelter, development, education, care, protection and participation and will receive the highest priority through increased investment and strengthened implementation and monitoring at all levels Ensuring these rights and related entitlements is the principle responsibility of the State irrespective of its partnership with private, corporate or civil society.

Key Priorities: Survival, Health and Nutrition

• Every child has a right to adequate, good quality, appropriate nutrition and be safeguarded against hunger, deprivation and malnutrition
• Using a life cycle approach, with a view to their individual needs at different stages of life and with focus on the greatest vulnerability to malnutrition, the State shall ensure adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation and support to women for exclusive breastfeeding through universal provision of maternity entitlements and universal access to crèche facilities.
• The State shall ensure that nutritional programmes focus on prevention and management of malnutrition
• Commercial enterprise related to nutrition will be strictly regulated in order to prevent misinformation and inducement leading to poor nutrition
• Acts such as the Infant Milk Substitute, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 may provide models for expansion of regulation to other products related to nutrition
• The State shall take all necessary measures to improve maternal health care
• State shall take urgent measures to protect children from neo-natal, infant and child (0-5 years) mortality due to preventable causes of death
• State will provide universal access to information for making informed choices related to birth and spacing of children and meet the unmet need for contraceptive services
• State will secure the right of the girl child to life, survival and health through programmes for gender empowerment and strict implementation of related acts such as the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994
• State will ensure adequate services to combat TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDS in children and for children with chronic ailments

Key Priorities: Education And Development

• The State shall introduce relevant legislations and make necessary amendments to existing legislation to guarantee provision of early childhood care for all children upto the age of six years
• The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure that all children enjoy their right to free and compulsory education from pre-school to completion of secondary school without any disruption
• The State shall ensure that every child in the 6-14 years of age is in school and enjoy her fundamental right to education as enshrined in the Constitution under the RTE Act
• The State shall bring about legislation for guaranteeing fundamental right to education for all children up to 18 years of age and also to cover children below six years of age
• The State shall ensure that all out of school children viz: child labourers, migrant children, trafficked children, children of migrant labour, street children, child victims of substance abuse, children in areas of civil unrest, orphans, children with disability (mental and physical), children with chronic ailments, married children, children of manual scavengers, children of sex workers etc. are tracked, rescued, rehabilitated and are in school enjoying their right to education.

Institutional Framework

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) will be the nodal Ministry for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of this Policy. The State shall ensure appropriate inter-sectoral response at Central, State, District and Sub district levels; and coordinate and network with all allied systems i.e. Government departments and non-government agencies providing services for children for effective implementation of this policy.