Eluru: District collector K Vetriselvi directed officials to work in coordination to protect the deprived children in the society and provide them with education, health and other facilities through the Mission Vatsalya programme and keep them on the path of development in society.

A meeting was held at the Collectorate here on Tuesday under the auspices of the Women Development & Child Welfare Department and the District Child Protection Department. Collector Vetriselvi participated as the chief guest and gave directions to the officials.

She said that the main agenda is to provide a healthy and happy childhood to every child through this scheme. The officials are taking steps to eradicate child marriages and child labour in the district, but the officials should accept these as a pious programme to strengthen them further. Steps should be taken to prevent child marriages from taking place anywhere within the limits of the village and ward secretariats and cases should be registered against those who conduct child marriages. She said that 19 homes run by voluntary organisations in the district have been recommended for sanction to 19 people. She made it clear that if there are any people who have not yet obtained a license, they should apply immediately, otherwise legal action will be taken against those who are conducting such activities. Since the Women Welfare Secretaries are the conveners of the village level committees, they should definitely hold a meeting with their Child Welfare Committee colleagues on a fixed day every month and discuss the problems of children at the village level, she said. If child marriages happen anywhere, cases should be booked. She said that they should do it and respond immediately, f they receive any information or suspicion. She said that 40 cases of child marriage were registered from April to August this year, and they responded immediately and stopped it, and they were counselled and steps were taken to continue their education. She said that 83 cases were registered under the POCSO Act from April to August this year, and steps were taken to continue education for 77 victims. She said that she was very happy that the victims of the POCSO cases registered in 2022 secured justice.

Additional SP Nakka Suryachandra Rao, ICDS PD A Sarada, DCPO Dr CH Surya Chakraveni, Deputy Commissioner of Labour Department P Srinivas, Social Welfare Department JD Y Viswamohan Reddy, District Skill Development Officer N Jithender Reddy, DCHS Dr B Paul Satish Kumar, concerned officials, Mission Vatsalya Nodal Officer E Tulasi, District Government Hospital Superintendent Dr MS Raju, CWC members CH Rajeshwara Rao, Puchala Venkateswara Rao, Kella Haimavati, and other dignitaries participated in the meeting.