The proposal for formation of National Commission for Children is likely to be placed before Parliament in the Budget session. This was stated by the Ministerfor Human Resource Development, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi at the Consultative Committee Meeting of Ministry of HRD held here today. He informed the members that the Commission would be a statutory body with judicial powers.

Members across the Board welcomed the suggestion of forming the National Commission for Children. Many of them raised question of proper implementation of vrious programmes for the welfare of children and women by different Ministries for example, operation blackboard, mother and child health, ICDS, anganwadi,

and problems of child labour, malnutrition, child beggers and sex workers. They also raised question of misuse of funds by some of the various agencies includingNGOs implementing the programmes. Earlier Dr. Joshi explained the purpose of setting up of National Commission for Children and expressed concern at slow progress in reducing the problems of children. The Minister mentioned the various Laws/Acts/Policies in existence for the children of the country. Answering the queries of members of the Consultative Committee, Dr. Joshi clarified that the proposal is for a Commission which will ensure that various laws for children are implemented efficiently.

He said that the Ministry of Human Resource Development have been receiving complaints from various sectors regarding the incidence of child prostitution, malnutrition, child labour etc. as the Acts are implemented by different Ministries/Departments and there is no central authority for monitoring these acts. One of the functions of the National Commission for Children would be to review all these laws, and the corrective measures are taken for overseeing the implementation.

The constitution of the Commission should be such that its recommendations are implemented. The idea is not to have just another body which will be meeting and making recommendations. Commission shall have judicial powers. The Chairpersons of NHRC, NCW, SC/ST/Safai Karamchari Commissions will be members of National Commission for Children so that all the Commissions work in close collaboration with National Commission for Children.