Malerkotla, 25 July 2025: Under the directions of Deputy Commissioner Viraj S. Tidke, a meeting of the district-level committee on the Sponsorship and Foster Care Scheme was held under the chairmanship of Assistant Commissioner Gurmeet Kumar Bansal, in accordance with the guidelines of Mission Vatsalya. Present on the occasion were District Child Protection Officer Harpreet Kaur, CWC member Inaam-ur-Rehman, Child Welfare Officer Amandeep Kaur, Mubeen Qureshi, and other officials from the concerned departments.
During the meeting, DCPO Harpreet Kaur provided a detailed overview of the Sponsorship and Foster Care Scheme and presented 46 new cases of children in need. She shared that prior to this, 180 needy children in the district were already receiving financial assistance under the scheme. It is noteworthy that under this scheme, each eligible child receives 4,000 rupees per month.
She explained that children who are abandoned or orphaned and living with other families, children of divorced women, victims of child marriage or child labour, and children whose parents are unable to support or educate them due to illness, imprisonment, or financial and physical incapacity are eligible under the scheme. As per Mission Vatsalya guidelines, the annual income limit is 96,000 rupees for urban areas and 72,000 rupees for rural areas. Children from such families are provided with 4,000 rupees per month.
The Assistant Commissioner included 46 more needy children from the district under this scheme and stated that the district administration is committed to helping genuinely deserving individuals in line with government directions, and ensuring that welfare schemes reach the right beneficiaries.
For further information regarding this scheme, people can contact the office of the District Child Protection Officer, Malerkotla, at 78375-01659 or 94177-71856 from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5 pm.
Summary :
A district-level committee meeting was held to review and address Sponsorship and Foster Care cases, focusing on child welfare under the Assistant Commissioner’s leadership.