Will move proposal to deploy mobile units in sub-divisions to help children in distress: Gahlot

Their immediate reaction should be to pick up the phone and dial the DCPCR helpline number, it said.The field team will serve as the first point of contact for any child in need of support, the panel added.We will move a proposal to have mobile units at every sub-division in Delhi to reach children in distress.

Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday said a proposal will be moved to station mobile units at each sub-division so that children in distress can be reached on time.

He was speaking at the launch of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights' (DCPCR) Children Distress Response Helpline.

The DCPCR has been provided 10 vehicles by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) for the response system.

These include five two-wheelers and as many four-wheelers. The panel handled 2.5 lakh calls in the last year.

The helpline will be rolled out in a phased manner, catering to children in emergency situations, out-of-school children who may be at risk of exploitation and danger, mothers facing pregnancy emergencies, missing children, abandoned or orphaned children, children in street situations, etc, the panel said.

The team will not only provide relief to children who are in need of it but will also undertake preventative measures and conduct field visits to protect children who are at risk, it said.

The helpline will function on all seven days from 9 am to 11 pm in the first phase, and will later be expanded to a 24×7 service. Response teams will be stationed across districts in Delhi, the DCPCR said.

''While all the government functionaries perform their duty when reached out to, a critical step is connecting these children with the relevant government bodies. What the children and their parents need is someone to be physically present with them and provide them with all the support that they need, when they are at their most vulnerable and helpless stage. Their immediate reaction should be to pick up the phone and dial the DCPCR helpline number,'' it said.

The field team will serve as the first point of contact for any child in need of support, the panel added.

''We will move a proposal to have mobile units at every sub-division in Delhi to reach children in distress. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, we will ensure its implementation,'' Gahlot said.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who was also present at the event, said that help will reach children within 30 minutes.