The state Women and Child
Development and Social Welfare department would soon open Sishu Aloy at correctional homes in the state to help children of convicts who are growing there.
To start with the plan, the department would soon introduce a Sishu Aloy, an initiative to promote Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), at the Alipore Central Correctional Home in the city, Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister of State Dr Shashi Panja said today while launching the initiative in Rudrapur of Howrah district.
The request to set up these advanced Anganwadi centres at the correctional homes came from West Bengal Minister of Correctional Home Hyder Aziz Safwi, who was also present at the inauguration.
"There are 58 correctional homes in the state where 280 children, 150 boys and rest girls, are staying with their mothers who are convicts in different cases. We are running schools there... But still I feel that these children are suffering for no faults. There is an Anganwadi centre at Alipore Women's Correctional Home. I will request Dr Panja to open up a Sihu Aloy there," Safwi said.
Incidentally, out of the total 11 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centers sanctioned by state government for Correctional Homes, the two most important are at Presidency Correctional Home and Alipore Women's Correctional Home which are run by the Dept of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare.
Under the ICDS project, the state Child Development and Social Welfare department has sanctioned nine more Anganwadi Centers in four Central (Dum Dum, Midnapore, Jalpaiguri, Berhampore), three Districts (Krishnanagar, Balurghat, Coochbehar), one Women's (Purulia) and one Special (Siliguri) Correctional Home of the State for the children and expectant mothers there for their education, vaccination and special nutrition programmes.
