Face2News/Chandigarh
Ms. Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal, Member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), undertook an official visit to Union Territory Chandigarh on April 21st, 2025. She was accompanied with her team of consultants Sh. Sandeep Chaudhary, Ms. Swarnima Pandey and Ms. Ritu Tandon.
The consultation meeting was convened to assess the implementation of Child Rights and Welfare-related initiatives across U.T., Chandigarh. The meeting was convened at UT Secretariat, Sector-9, Chandigarh wherein Ms. Shipra Bansal, Chairperson, CCPCR, Dr. Palika Arora, PCS, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Directors of School & Higher Education, Health, DSP, Assistant Labour Commissioner, Member State Legal Service Authority alongwith other officials of the UT Administration attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Ms. Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal She reviewed progress on matters pertaining to Child Welfare, Education, Health, Child Labour Prevention, Juvenile Justice and safeguarding children from Abuse, Exploitation, and Child Marriage.
The representatives of the Departments presented their ongoing initiatives and action plans aimed at ensuring the rights and holistic development of children in the UT. Constructive discussions were held regarding inter-departmental coordination, capacity building, and policy-level interventions to address emerging challenges concerning child rights.
Ms. Preeti appreciated the efforts of the UT Administration and gave several key directions to the departments working for Child Protection and Welfare. Some of the key directions were to the Department of Health to refer the MLR format of AIIMS in cases of Child Sexual Abuse as it is comprehensive and includes key details that can significantly aid investigations.
(SUBHEAD)Additionally, she instructed the Department of Education to conduct regular visits to Minority Educational Institutions in UT Chandigarh. During the meeting, she also directed that Special Public Prosecutors handling rape cases should also receive training on the provisions of the POCSO Act.
In addition to the above instructions, she also emphasized to conduct regular trainings with respect to the JJ Act and POCSO Act and to simplify the JJ act for better understanding of the stakeholders. Further, she directed to increase the awareness of E-box among children, guardians etc.
The visit marks a significant step towards reinforcing the commitment to safeguard the rights and well-being of children in the region. The meeting concluded with NCPCR led pledge ceremony on Prevention of Child Marriage chaired by the Hon’ble Member. The pledge marked as a step towards creating a safer and more empowered future for all children. The officials of Chandigarh Administration solemnly pledged to work towards the complete prohibition of child marriage and to uphold the rights & dignity of every child by creating a robust prevention mechanism.
Further, a visit was conducted to the office of the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights, where a meeting was held with the Support Persons assigned to victims of Child Sexual Abuse. Ms. Preeti, alongwith her team of consultants, visited Children Home Snehalaya for Girls and Boys, as well as the Observation Home, to get an overview of the functioning of the Child Care Institutions (CCIs). During the visit, she interacted with the children residing therein and also enjoyed the cultural performance presented by the children.