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TOPIC : GS 2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Lend a helping hand to children the right way

What is the news?

  • The second wave of the COVID­19 pandemic now sweeping India has left many children orphaned and vulnerable.
  • Social media is flooded with requests to adopt children who have lost their parents in the pandemic.
  • Non­governmental organisations (NGOs) have come forward to help such children.

Many options to help

  • Any individual who finds an orphan child or even any child who needs care and protection under the circumstances, should immediately call the toll free Childline number
  • An emergency phone outreach service managed by the Women and Child Development department’s nodal agency, the Childline India Foundation which operates round the day and on all days across the country.
  • The second option is to intimate the district protection officer concerned whose contact details can be found on the National Tracking System
  • It is for Missing and Vulnerable Children portal maintained by the Women and Child Development department of the Government
  • To approach the nearest police station or its child welfare police officer who is specially trained to exclusively deal with children either as victims or juvenile delinquents.
  • The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) which is a pan India single number based emergency response system for citizens in emergencies and seek the necessary help.
  • The non-reporting of such children is also a punishable offence under the JJA or the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act, 2015

Established process

  • Once an orphan child is recovered by the outreach agency, it is the duty of the said agency to produce the child within 24 hours before the Child Welfare Committee of the district.
  • The CWC, after an inquiry decides whether to send the child to a children’s home or a fit facility or fit person if the child is below six years he or she shall be placed in a specialised adoption agency.
  • The State thus takes care of all such children who are in need of care and protection, till they turn 18 years.
  • In Sampurna Behrua vs Union of India (2018), the Supreme Court of India directed States and Union Territories to ensure that all child care institutions are registered.
  • Any voluntary or NGO which is not registered as per the requirement of the JJA cannot house children in need of care and protection.
  • Once a child is declared legally free for adoption by the CWC, adoption can be done either by Indian prospective adoptive parents or non­resident Indians or foreigners, in that order.
  • Another important feature of the JJA is that it is secular in nature and simple in procedure as compared to the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 which is not only religion specific
  • The procedure of adoption is totally transparent and its progress can be monitored from the portal of the statutory body, the Central Adoption Resource Authority

Court Directive

  • The Supreme Court in Bachpan Bachao Andolan vs Union of India directed all Directors General of Police, in May 2013, to register a first information report as a case of trafficking or abduction in every case of a missing child.
  • Each district is supposed to have its special juvenile police unit, headed by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
  • The Supreme Court in Exploitation of children in Orphanages in the State of Tamil Nadu (2017) inter alia, specifically asked the National Police Academy, Hyderabad and police training academies in every State to prepare training courses on the JJA and provide regular training to police officers in terms of sensitization.
  • Article 39 of the Constitution prohibits the tender age of the children from being abused.

Way forward

  • The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories on the issue of children orphaned due to COVID­19.
  • It said that that ‘if any such information about an abandoned or orphaned child is received by any entity, organisation, or NGO, then the NCPCR has to be informed by email or over the telephone  for assistance and help to children. This directive needs to be implemented in the most humane manner.

Mains question

Following the COVID surge, the laws and procedures for the care and protection of orphaned children must be noted. Examine the statement

Sources: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/lend-a-helping-hand-to-children-the-right-way/article34560812.ece

PRELIMS PUNCHERS

  1. National Human Rights Commission

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India is a Statutory public body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (PHRA). The NHRC is the National Human Rights Commission of India, responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the Act as “Rights Relating To Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The NHRC consists of The Chairman and Five members (excluding the ex-officio members) . A Chairperson, who has been a Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court. One member who is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India , or, One member who is, or has been, the Chief Justice of a High Court. Three Members, out of which at least one shall be a woman to be appointed from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights.

In addition, the Chairpersons of National Commissions viz, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women , National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities serve as ex officio members.

Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uphold-the-dignity-of-the-dead-says-nhrc/article34559783.ece

  1. Platyceps Josephi

The new species, Platyceps josephi, is a nonvenomous colubrid medium sized  snake that can be seen in the open grasslands with rocky and scrub habitats. The uncommon Platyceps josephi found across central and southern Tamil Nadu is a diurnal snake, terrestrial and swift in locomotion.

The snake species studied was spotted from one protected area (Megamalai) in its known range. The species faces a number of threats across its distributional range, including habitat destruction, because the grasslands in southern Tamil Nadu are being actively converted into plantations, farmlands and urbanisation.

Sources: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/may/13/new-species-of-racer-snake-found-in-tamil-nadu-named-after-herpetologist-naveen-joseph-2302171.html

  1. Low Base Effect

The base effect is the effect that choosing a different reference point for a comparison between two data points can have on the result of the comparison. This often involves the use of some kind of ratio or index value between two points in a time-series data set, but can also apply to cross-sectional or other types of data.

Using a different reference or base for comparison can lead to a large variation in ratio or percentage comparisons between data points. The base effect can lead to distortion in comparisons and deceptive results, or, if well understood and accounted for, can be used to improve our understanding of data and the underlying processes that generate them

Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/business/exports-surge-in-april-on-low-base-effect/article34562528.ece

  1. Iron Dome System

Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres to 70 kilometres  away and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. Israel hopes to increase the range of Iron Dome’s interceptions, from the current maximum of 70 kilometres  to 250 kilometres  and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.

In addition to their land-based deployment, Iron Dome batteries will in the future be deployed at sea on Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, where they will protect off-shore gas platforms in conjunction with Israel’s Barak 8 missile system. Iron Dome is part of a future multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel is developing, which includes Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Beam, Barak 8 and David’s Sling.

Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-israels-iron-dome-rocket-defence-system/article34556339.ece

PRELIMS QUESTION

Qn 1 Consider the following statement regarding to Platyceps Josephi

  1. It is a nonvenomous colubrid medium sized snake
  2. It is found across central and southern Kerala  is a diurnal snake, terrestrial and swift in locomotion.

Select the correct statement using code given below.

(a). 1only                                 (b) 2 only

(c). Both of them                 (d). None of the above

Answer: A

The new species, Platyceps josephi, is a nonvenomous colubrid medium sized  snake that can be seen in the open grasslands with rocky and scrub habitats. The uncommon Platyceps josephi found across central and southern Tamil Nadu is a diurnal snake, terrestrial and swift in locomotion.

The snake species studied was spotted from one protected area (Megamalai) in its known range. The species faces a number of threats across its distributional range, including habitat destruction, because the grasslands in southern Tamil Nadu are being actively converted into plantations, farmlands and urbanisation.

Qn 2 Consider the following statement regarding to Iron Dome System

1.It is a mobile all-weather land defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries

  1. designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 40 kilometres to 80 kilometres

Select the correct statement using code given below.

(a). 1only                                 (b) 2 only

(c). Both of them                 (d). None of the above

Answer: A

Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres to 70 kilometres  away and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. Israel hopes to increase the range of Iron Dome’s interceptions, from the current maximum of 70 kilometres  to 250 kilometres  and make it more versatile so that it could intercept rockets coming from two directions simultaneously.

In addition to their land-based deployment, Iron Dome batteries will in the future be deployed at sea on Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, where they will protect off-shore gas platforms in conjunction with Israel’s Barak 8 missile system. Iron Dome is part of a future multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel is developing, which includes Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Beam, Barak 8 and David’s Sling.