PUNE: The civic body is planning to use its schools as shelter homes for children living on streets, besides taking care of their education at the facilities.
The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) plan is to convert the unused classrooms of these schools into dormitories and use those as makeshift residences of the children in need.
The women and child welfare committee of the civic body has approved the plan and it will be tabled before the standing committee this week. "Street children between six and 18 years of age can avail of the benefits of the facility. A day-and-night shelter should be provided to all these children," the proposal stated.
Officials said PMC has joined hands with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and also a corporate firm to take forward the project. The funds will be provided by PMC, while financial assistance will also be sought from the firm as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Eight schools in areas under ward offices such as Aundh, Ghole Road, Bhavani Peth and Vishrambaug will be utilised for the project.
"The children will be able to study and have a shelter in these institutes once the education hours get over," said Sanjay Ranjane, head of the PMC's urban community development department. He told TOI that the civic administration will also approach the state government for funds.
The proposal has been drafted on the basis of a survey of street children conducted by PMC in 2016. The survey had revealed that most of the children living or working on the streets are from the state's drought-affected areas such as Beed, Latur, Nanded, Parbhani and Osmanabad. Around 40% of the nearly 10,000 children surveyed by the civic body are from these districts.
The survey also found that the street children were involved in a wide variety of income-generation activities. Of the total children surveyed, 33% were involved in hawking/vending on the streets, 17% were into begging or were used for begging and 12% were into construction activities.
The beneficiaries of the project will be children of single parents or who have lost their parents. Besides, children of sex workers, runaway minors and boys and girls, whose parents do not care of them.
The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) plan is to convert the unused classrooms of these schools into dormitories and use those as makeshift residences of the children in need.
The women and child welfare committee of the civic body has approved the plan and it will be tabled before the standing committee this week. "Street children between six and 18 years of age can avail of the benefits of the facility. A day-and-night shelter should be provided to all these children," the proposal stated.
Officials said PMC has joined hands with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and also a corporate firm to take forward the project. The funds will be provided by PMC, while financial assistance will also be sought from the firm as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Eight schools in areas under ward offices such as Aundh, Ghole Road, Bhavani Peth and Vishrambaug will be utilised for the project.
"The children will be able to study and have a shelter in these institutes once the education hours get over," said Sanjay Ranjane, head of the PMC's urban community development department. He told TOI that the civic administration will also approach the state government for funds.
The proposal has been drafted on the basis of a survey of street children conducted by PMC in 2016. The survey had revealed that most of the children living or working on the streets are from the state's drought-affected areas such as Beed, Latur, Nanded, Parbhani and Osmanabad. Around 40% of the nearly 10,000 children surveyed by the civic body are from these districts.
The survey also found that the street children were involved in a wide variety of income-generation activities. Of the total children surveyed, 33% were involved in hawking/vending on the streets, 17% were into begging or were used for begging and 12% were into construction activities.
The beneficiaries of the project will be children of single parents or who have lost their parents. Besides, children of sex workers, runaway minors and boys and girls, whose parents do not care of them.
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