National Child Policy, 2013

Published on 17 Feb 2025

The National Child Policy was introduced in 2013 to provide a comprehensive framework for the development, protection and well-being of children, covering a range of issues like health, education, nutrition and participation.

Significant features of the National Child Policy

✔ Education: The policy pushes for inclusive education by addressing the challenges faced by children belonging to marginalized communities and those with special needs.

✔ Health and nutrition: Focus on early childhood care, immunization and mental health of a child through government initiatives.

✔ Protection: Strengthening the legal frameworks like POCSO Act and institutional frameworks like Child Welfare Committees to protect children from violence and exploitation.

✔ Participation: Aims to provide a platform for children to express their views and concerns, promote their participation in family, community and governance matters.

Concerns associated with the National Child Policy

✔ Increase in child crimes: Stringent provisions to prevent violence against children has failed to create deterrence as the crime rate is still increasing.

✔ Lack of participation: Lack of awareness and mobilisation has restricted children's participation in sharing their experience and knowledge, which could have made policies more inclusive.

✔ Implementation flaws: Vagueness in the programmes, lack of effective leadership, absence of proper monitoring mechanisms have made policies less efficient. This has resulted in education and health of children still in vulnerable state.

✔ Limited focus on private sector: The private sector, NGOs and civil society group’s role in improving the conditions of children could have been mentioned.

Thus, National Child Policy gives a holistic picture of the focus-areas which need to be addressed by the legislation for improving the quality of life and well-being of children in India.