Srinagar, Apr 05 (KNO): A total of 4,435 children in conflict with law (CCL) in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have received non-institutional care support under the Government of India’s Mission Vatsalya scheme over the last five years, according to official data.
An official said that the Mission Vatsalya scheme—implemented through the State and UT governments—aims to deliver services for children in need of care and protection as well as children in conflict with law. The services include institutional and non-institutional care, such as sponsorship, foster care, adoption, and aftercare, he said.
According to data, J&K accounted for 7,901 children receiving support between 2019 and 2024, of whom a significant number are understood to be children in conflict with law. The yearly breakdown for J&K is 521 in 2019–20, 979 in 2020–21, 979 in 2021–22, 1,398 in 2022–23 and 4,024 in 2023–24.
Ladakh, which became a separate Union Territory in October 2019, reported no children supported under the scheme in the first three years. The figures rose to 29 in 2022–23 and 411 in 2023–24, totalling 440 children over the five-year period.
The government cited the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 as the principal legislation guiding the care and rehabilitation of children in conflict with law.
Under the Act, Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) are empowered to make decisions in the best interest of such children, including monthly inspections of residential facilities and coordination with District Child Protection Units—(KNO)