Women and Child Development Department officials in the district remain optimistic about people’s participation for mobilising resources under Balanidhi, a juvenile justice fund, for the children in need of society’s care and protection for their integration into the mainstream.
Contributions to the project launched by the department and implemented through the Integrated Child Protection Scheme with the aim of making the State child-friendly can be made by way of cash, electronic transfer, demand draft, money order or cheque drawn in favour of the Director of the department.
“This is a first-of-its-kind initiative to mobilise funds for the well being of children coming under the Juvenile Justice Act and its success solely depends on people’s participation. Significantly, contributions to Balanidhi will be eligible for income tax exemption while companies can also contribute their corporate social responsibility funds,” K.B. Zaina, District Child Protection Officer, told The Hindu. Contributions can also be personally handed over to the District Child Protection Unit.
The funds mobilised will be used for the welfare of mainly 17 categories of beneficiaries – inmates of children homes; children without safe houses; children rescued from begging, labour and streets; orphaned children; rescued children who went missing; victims of abuse, exploitation, natural calamities and other tensions; financially backward children; potential victims of child marriage; mentally deranged children; children addicted to drug abuse or exploited for drug trade; victims of child trafficking; children suffering from terminal diseases; children belonging to transgender section; children of terminally-ill parents; children from downtrodden families belonging to scheduled castes/tribes or fishermen community; and children under the care of child welfare committees and Juvenile Justice Board.
Ms. Zaina said the ambit of Balanidhi provides for wider assistance depending on the specific needs of children either through monthly allocation or under various innovative schemes targeted at beneficiaries. More number of beneficiaries may also be covered under the scheme as the department proposes to conduct a Statewide survey to identify children in need of care and protection through societal and State intervention.
Contributions to Balanidhi can be made electronically to the account 57044156669 with the IFSC Code: SBIN0070415. For more details, contact the District Child Protection Unit at 0484-2609177 or mail to dcpuernkulam@gmail.com.
