The Department of Panchayats (DoP) has issued a statement and circular asking BDOs to make sure that Village Child Committees are formed in every panchayat, as required by the Children’s Act. But such instructions are not very useful, as many panchayats will already have different committees formed where workshops are planned for all of them.
I have written to the Department of Women and Child (W&C), asking them to get GIPARD to organise a training programme for these child committees. But no one seems to be taking this seriously. Funds from the W&C are not being released because of too many unnecessary procedures, including the need for the BDO’s approval to release grants from the parent W&C body.
The DoP should make sure that each panchayat sets aside enough funds for these committees when the budget is passed in the gram sabha. If that doesn’t happen, then these notices and circulars have no real impact. They are usually acted upon only when the Central Government gives an order or someone files a complaint. Thanks to GOACAN for constantly raising such issues with different departments to make the panchayat committees active, and to the DoP for responding to some of them.
