Chandigarh has little to spare for its marginalised kids

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 3

The city still has little to spare for its marginalised children. Though the financial assistance has increased nearly five times since last year, the children are still getting just about Rs 33 a day.

As the “suo motu” or “court on its own motion” case on providing financial assistance to marginalised children in Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh came up for resumed hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Chandigarh Administration filed an affidavit of the Director, Social Welfare, Nishu Singal.

She submitted that the monetary monthly aid of Rs 500 under the “Financial Assistance to Dependant Children of Widow and Destitute Women” had further been enhanced to Rs 1,000 per child with effect from January 1.

The development is significant as no less than 1,427 children are beneficiaries under the scheme. The Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice Gurmit Ram was also told during the resumed hearing that the annual budgetary allocation would have to be increased from Rs 38 lakh to Rs 171.24 lakh for implementing the decision to enhance the financial assistance for the beneficiaries. The revised budget estimate would be submitted to the competent authority for the release of funds.

Taking a note of the assertions, the Bench minced no words to say that the affidavit did not mention the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, sponsored by the Government of India, in which the monthly sponsorship and foster care of Rs 2,000 per dependant child was available.

The court, last year, was told that the UT had implemented the financial assistance scheme, but was providing less than Rs 7 a day for children below 18. The money was less than the amount handed over to poor children by Punjab and Haryana.

Describing it as insufficient, the Bench had called for reconsideration and enhancement of the amount. “Under the scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 200 per month is to be given to children below the age of 18 years. In our opinion, this amount is inadequate and the UT is directed to reconsider the issue for enhancement of the amount to a reasonable extent,” the Bench had asserted.

  The judges, at that time, were also of the opinion that the situation was hardly any better in Punjab and Haryana.