In coordination with the district administration, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organised grievance redress camp on matters of child rights for children below the age of 18 at Jawadhu Hills and Thimiri town in Tiruvannamalai and Ranipet districts respectively on Thursday.
Preeti Bhardwaj Dalal, Member (Laws Relating to Children), NCPCR, which is under the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, presided over the meeting.
Issues concerning the rights of children, easy access to community and hereditary certificates, Aadhaar and inclusion of children’s names in family ration card, medical and education facilities, assistance for children with disabilities and government schemes for children were discussed. Parents, caretakers, social activists, educationalists, officials of the school education, social and tribal welfare departments participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed facilities available in government schools, anganwadi centres, government homes and primary healthcare centres (PHCs) that cater to the needs of children.
At Jawadhu Hills, residents highlighted the need for hassle-free access to get community and other certificates for children. They wanted better hygiene, including safe drinking water and toilets in government schools in remote hamlets of the hills. A total of 311 petitions were given by residents in Jawadhu Hills at the meeting.
Plea for childcare
At Thimiri (Ranipet),the Commission received around 150 petitions from residents with many of them pleading for better childcare facilities at the PHC in the district.
Ms. Dalal visited the Government Model School in Perungattur tribal hamlet in Jawadhu Hills and Government Middle School in Polur at the foothills.