Lack of transparency, casual attitude of top Central child rights body baffle activists

In Bt cotton field

By Jag Jivan
A high-level consultation in Ahmedabad by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), New Delhi, a statutory body under the ministry of woman and child, Government of India, is said to have left several state non-government organisations (NGOs) dissatisfied over the top body's refusal to show transparency. Chaired by Nina Nayak, member, NCPCR, with consultant Swati Chavla sitting next to her, a statement by Dalit Hak Rakshak Manch (DHRM), one of the participating organisations, said, while the meeting was meant for discussing issues on child rights, the media was not invited. On the other hand, state intelligence bureau (IB) persons sat through to note what all Gujarat activists had to say.
The statement said, even the invitation letter sent to a few NGOs for the consultation very casual. It was sent to "some selected persons" and was signed by one ‘Swetaben’ from NCPCR, whom nobody knew. The organisers neither bothered to take note of the fact that Nina Nayak and Swati Chawla would take the meeting with the NGOs. In fact, the "organisers wanted to keep this a low profile", and the result was, "an important event was turned to a futile exercise; public money was wasted."
Nina Nayak requested Gujarat activists to submit their petitions in English, but "she failed to give explanation on inaction on those complaints which have been written in English", DHRM statement said. Prominent NGO activists including Dipak Dabhi (ASVS), Jayanti Makwana (BAAG), Mujahid Nafis (Manav Garima), Raju and Dipti, Jayanti Makwana (BST), Rajesh Bhatt, Sarifa and Nurjahan (Aman Samuday), Dipak Rohit, Nirjari and Binal (DHRM) did not like such an approach.
"All activists unanimously raised their voice against the apathy of the Gujarat government in solving child rights issues", the statement said, quoting Rajesh Solanki of DHRM, who raised the issue of mismanagement of juvenile homes in Gujarat. Giving an example, he said, Kutch-Saurashtra's seven out of eight district observation homes have been converted into children homes. The result is, children from all the districts are brought to Rajkot, where alone an observation home functions.
During the meeting, Sarifa narrated the plight of minority students in a government school near Bombay Hotel area in Narol where tanker comes once in a day, and for the remaining time kids remains thirsty, and where not a single rule of the right to education Act is followed. Mujahid wondered what happened to his applications forwarded to the NCPCR. Mehul Pandya lamented the plight of construction workers without giving any single incident."
Nirjari from DHRM said that she had contacted all the state counterparts of the NCPCR members and invited them at a recent consultation on juvenile homes, but none of them turned up. She added, several officials were asked to remain aloof from the consultation. Certain major NGOs like Prayas were not even invited by the organisers of the NCPCR meet, which was held at the Circuit House in Ahmedabad, the statement regretted.

Comments

Pankti Jog said…

Yes we too had similar experience. Commission representatives went to Maliya region, and we were not informed tiill last moment.. so Issues of Agariyas could not be represented during their field visit.
then next day... field people came to Rajkot... to make representation.

July 27, 2013

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Search This Blog