No proposal to reserve jobs for orphans, says Centre

The Union Government on Thursday informed Parliament that there is currently no proposal under consideration to reserve five percent of jobs in government establishments for orphaned children.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur stated that while no such reservation plan exists, the welfare of orphaned children is being addressed through existing legislative and institutional mechanisms.

The reply came in response to a question by MPs Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan and Dr Ganapathy Rajkumar P, who sought to know whether the Centre intended to create job reservations for orphans and what steps were being taken to provide them with social security and protection against exploitation.

Thakur, through the written reply, said that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, as amended in 2021, remains the key legal framework to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of children in need of care and protection, including orphans, abandoned and surrendered children, and those in conflict with the law.

Under this Act, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) are mandated to make decisions in the best interest of children, including their rehabilitation and social reintegration. Additionally, Child Care Institutions (CCIs) across the country offer institutional care that includes education, healthcare, counselling, and vocational training.

The Ministry is also implementing the Mission Vatsalya scheme in collaboration with state governments. As per data shared in the Lok Sabha, a total of 2,559 Child Care Institutions were funded by the Central Government which ultimately supported 76,882 children across the country during the financial year 2024–25. The highest number of children supported were in Tamil Nadu (12,438), followed by West Bengal (7,615) and Uttar Pradesh (5,420).

While the Ministry said that the Mission Vatsalya scheme provides a range of support services to orphaned children, it did not elaborate on any plans for their long-term employment or inclusion in reservation policies.