Mission Vatsalya scheme: Tamil Nadu records the highest number of kids in CCIs: Centre

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu had the highest number of children residing in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) under the Mission Vatsalya scheme in 2025-26, with 11,217 children, followed by 7,725 in West Bengal and 7,311 in Odisha, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question by Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, is the primary legislation for ensuring the safety, security, dignity and well-being of Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) and Children in Conflict with Law (CCL).

She said the Act covers orphans, abandoned and surrendered children, as well as those produced before Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) and placed in Child Care Institutions.

According to data shared by the minister, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of children residing in CCIs during 2025-26 at 11,217. The state had reported 13,877 children in 2021-22; 7,785 in 2022-23; 10,118 in 2023-24, and 12,438 in 2024-25. It was followed by West Bengal (7,725), Odisha (7,311), Uttar Pradesh (5,125), Rajasthan (4,629) and Maharashtra (4,185).

Regarding vacancies in child protection institutions, Thakur stated that the Juvenile Justice Act mandates the establishment of Child Welfare Committees in every district, Juvenile Justice Boards for children in conflict with the law, and District Child Protection Units.

She said details of sanctioned, filled and vacant posts of CWCs, JJBs and child protection personnel are maintained by the states and Union Territories. However, the ministry has issued various guidelines and advisories from time to time for strengthening the implementation of the JJ Act, including filling vacancies in statutory structures.

Replying to a query on missing children reported and traced during the five years, the minister said the National Crime Records Bureau compiles and publishes data on missing and recovered children in its Crime in India report, which is available up to 2024.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed an integrated unified Mission Vatsalya Portal in consultation and coordination with States and UTs, she said.

Thakur said the TrackChild portal and Khoya-Paya application have been integrated into the unified Mission Vatsalya portal to help trace missing/found children. The portal is also integrated with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), enabling police to match FIRs of missing children with the database.

The minister added that the Mission Vatsalya Scheme also provides for emergency outreach services (24x7x365) for children in difficult circumstances through the Child Helpline (1098), which is integrated with the Emergency Response Support System-112 (ERSS-112) Helpline of the Ministry of Home Affairs.