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New Delhi, August 18, 2017 – Plan India, a leading child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities today, honoured the last mile champions, who have bridged the gaps between communities and service providers, catalysing remarkable social and behavioural change countrywide.

This award was instituted to acknowledge the integral role of frontline community workers who have endlessly contributed in achieving Plan India’s strategic goals at the grassroot level.

Awards were given in eight categories comprising of Anganwadi Workers (AWW), Anganwadi Helpers (AWH), Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Community Volunteers, Youth Champions, and Outreach Workers (ORW) in Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and HIV/AIDS. Special Jury and Special Recognition honours were given to two community members in recognition of their contributions. The nominations were filed from 13 states that Plan India works in – Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal.

In each category, numerous nominations were received from the field and were further screened by a state level Sub Jury Committee comprised of external experts from the government, academia and civil society, among others.

The top 24 nominations were then shortlisted by facilitating partner Grant Thornton, who presented their findings to the National Jury comprised of distinguished members from government, corporates, media and youth led organisations who selected the final ten awardees based on marks scored against evaluation criteria and the unique initiatives of each nominee.

Shabana Azmi, veteran actress, who was the Chief Guest for the occasion, gave away the awards to the winners. Other delegates to grace the event were Govind Nihalani, Chair Emeritus, Plan India, Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson, Plan India Board, Ranjan Chak and Udayan Sen, Members, Plan India Board.

Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said, “Plan India’s work is possible due to the tireless efforts of frontline community workers who reach out to those most disadvantaged. They are the last mile champions who successfully enable entire families and communities to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and barriers that held them back. The Plan India Impact Awards is an initiative to recognize their efforts, tell their inspirational stories and provide impetus to their life changing work.”

Winner in the ASHA category award, 35-year-old Vinita Negi from Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand said, “Working as a community health worker for the past ten years has been a rewarding experience. Knowing that I have empowered others to make positive changes and take control of their health gives me an enormous sense of accomplishment.”

Another award winner in the ANM category, 50-year-old Meera Devi from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh said, “I like helping and communicating with people. My work as a village community worker is what I like the most, and I definitely wish to continue to work for those who are unreachable and from the marginalized communities.”

Amongst the other categories, Sharif Uddin Tapadar from Assam and Basanti Jarika from Jharkhand were awarded for their contribution as an ORW in the field of WASH and HIV/ AIDS project. Bahaman Mohanta from Odisha was awarded for the best Community Volunteer. Madina and Seema Devi from Rajasthan were awarded for the best AWW and AWH. Shalini from Uttar Pradesh received the Youth Champions Award and Bharati Biswal from Odisha received the Recognition Award. A special Award was given to Sanjay Murmu for Bihar for his commendable contribution towards working for the most marginalized children and communities.

Editor’s notes

Plan India, is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities.

For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives.

A consolidated report on the situation of vulnerable and excluded children from six states of Northeast India namely, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh was presented at the 3rd Regional Conference on ‘Children in Difficult Circumstances’ organised by Plan India. Experts from various state institutes, UN bodies and Civil Society Organisations participated in the discussion.

The findings of the state consultation will be part of the National Conference on Children in Difficult Circumstances in November 2016 in New Delhi. The conference will provide a unique opportunity to child rights organisations, development practitioners, researchers and policy makers across India to deliberate on issues relating to the numerous problems faced by children and the commitments via practices, programmes, policies and investment required to address these.

Children in difficult circumstances comprise of children living on the streets and working, children affected by HIV/AIDS, victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, children of female sex workers and child labourers. Millions of children continue to be denied their basic rights and entitlements such as food, shelter, education, medical care, protection and security owing to their situation.

As per current statistics, 23 million children below the age of six years are malnourished (ICDS Status Report), 19 million children are living and working on the urban streets of India (UNHCHR Report) and 4.3 million children remain still employed as child labourers (2011 Census of India).

Speaking on the occasion Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India, said “As a leading national organisation on child rights, Plan India has been consistently advocating for the survival, protection, development and participation rights of all children, especially the most disadvantaged. The consultation is an effort to recognise the existing gaps in policies and programmes and make concrete action plans to address the issues of children in difficult circumstances”

The consultation was organised by Plan India, a leading NGO working on child development in partnership with Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses. Distinguished delegates included Anita Agnihotri, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India; Madhu K Garg, Secretary, Social Welfare, Arunachal Pradesh; Hemanata Narzary, Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, Assam; T Dkhar, Commissioner cum Secretary, Meghalaya; Dellirose M. Sakhrie, Secretary, Social Welfare, Nagaland; Chaitany Murti, Special Secretary, Social Welfare, Tripura; S K Devvarman, Secretary, Social Welfare, Manipur; Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India; Rajesh Kumar, Executive Director, SPYM and Gary Reid, Consultant, World Health Organisation.

Rajesh Kumar, Executive Director, SPYM said “Children in difficult circumstances are at great risk of suffering as their basic needs for food, shelter, education, medical care protection are not met. We need to recognise and develop an understanding of the multiple causes and situations leading to increased vulnerabilities and denial of rights of children and seek solutions to address the problem.”

The consultation also reviewed the existing best practices, effectiveness of government policies, legislation and programmes in addressing the rights and entitlements of the most vulnerable children. The participants discussed about multiple causes and situations leading to increased vulnerabilities and denial of rights to children and attempted to find possible solutions to these problems.

Participants acknowledged that promoting knowledge management and collaborative processes, including research are important drivers in influencing policies, practices and investment to improve the lives of children in difficult circumstances.

Plan India, in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Coca-Cola India Pvt. Ltd. launched today the Urban WASH – Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya project across 60 schools in Visakhapatnam, Pune and Dehradun. The project will directly impact over 12,000 children by enabling access to potable water and sanitary conditions and promote good sanitation practices along with effective use and ownership of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Commissioner Mr. M. Hari Narayanan and Visakhapatnam District Collector Mr. Praveen Kumar inaugurated the project in the presence of Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, USAID Mission Director to India; Ms. Shubha Sekhar, Director CSR and Sustainability, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia Business Unit; Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India and Mr. Mohammed Asif, Director Programme Implementation, Plan India. Others present at the event included M. Venkata Krishna Reddy, Visakhapatnam District Education Officer, Baddi Raamu, Chief Functionary, Grama Swarajya Samithi, school children, teachers, school authorities and other partners.

Under the three-year project, Coca-Cola India will provide sanitation facilities such as toilets, sinks, urinals and other physical structures necessary for creating sanitary conditions. USAID and Plan India will support the project through behaviour change communications aimed at educating youth about the benefits of sanitation. By spreading this message, the students will serve as change agents within their communities and around their schools. The project will work closely with the School Education Department, Municipal Corporation and District Administration at all stages, starting with selection and approvals to work in the schools.

Speaking on the occasion, USAID Mission Director Addleton remarked, “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has identified the provision of clean water and sanitation as his top priority. USAID supports this priority by providing technical expertise and sharing best practices that translate into positive change not only for these children and their schools, but also for their families and communities. The launch of the School WASH program today reinforces our shared goal of improving services for India’s low-income urban populations. The specific target is to advance the Government of India’s goal of improvement in the general quality of life of people by promoting cleanliness and hygiene and making India free from open-defection by October 2, 2019. With the right mix of technology, innovation and partnerships, we believe we can transform India into a country where clean water and sanitation is no longer a privilege, but a basic right affordable to all.”

Over 17 million urban households lack adequate sanitation facilities in India and 14.7 million of these lack toilets. The absence of basic sanitation facilities in schools is a key factor in students dropping out, particularly teenage girls.

Commenting on the partnership, Shubha Sekhar, Director CSR and Sustainability, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, “At Coca-Cola India, we are committed towards building holistic, happy and healthy society. Making positive interventions at schools is the bedrock of that commitment. Support My School initiative has impacted 200,000 school children across 700 plus schools in India so far and this initiative will help us further the cause by reaching out to an additional 12,000 children. We feel proud to partner with such an initiative which will significantly improve infrastructure in schools in these three cities and give conducive environment to school children.”

“It is important that our children are afforded basic necessities so they can focus on their education,” said Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India. “One of the widely recognized reasons for children dropping out of schools is the lack of basic, age-appropriate, gender-and disability-friendly sanitation facilities, clean drinking water and a healthy school environment. This project will ensure improved access to water, hygiene and sanitation by providing separate toilets facilities for girls and boys,” she added.

The project will help school children, teachers, School Management Committees (SMC), functionaries and communities ensure quality WASH practices within their schools. It will also address gender issues with the strong participation of girls in various project activities, such as menstrual hygiene management and advocating for proper facilities in school. This work contributes to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission by creating models that can be replicated by the municipal corporation school WASH improvement programme.

A consolidated report on the situation of vulnerable and excluded children from Western India comprising four states (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Gujarat) was presented at the 5th Regional Conference on ‘Children in Difficult Circumstances’ organised by Plan India. Experts from various state institutes, UN bodies and Civil Society Organisations participated in the discussion.

The findings of the western regional consultation will be part of the National Conference on Children in Difficult Circumstances in November 2016 in New Delhi. The conference will provide a unique opportunity to child rights organisations, development practitioners, researchers and policy makers across India to deliberate on issues relating to the numerous problems faced by children and the commitments via practices, programmes, policies and investment required to address these. Similar consultations were conducted in 4 other regions across India. This included Southern regional conference which was conducted at Vijayawada, Northern at Lucknow, Eastern at Kolkata and Northeastern conference at Guwahati.

Children in difficult circumstances comprise of children living on the streets and working, children affected by HIV/AIDS, victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, children of female sex workers and child labourers. Millions of children continue to be denied their basic rights and entitlements such as food, shelter, education, medical care, protection and security owing to their situation.

As per current statistics, 23 million children below the age of six years are malnourished (ICDS Status Report), 19 million children are living and working on the urban streets of India (UNHCHR Report) and 4.3 million children remain still employed as child labourers (2011 Census of India).

Speaking on the occasion Pradeep Narayanan, Director, Programme Strategy and Policy, Plan India said, “The consultation is an attempt to identify existing gaps in policies and programmes and recommend a collective call for action to address these issues for bringing positive impact on children’s life. As a leading national organisation on child rights, Plan India attempts to highlight and ensure access to the rights and entitlements of children who face multiple deprivation and vulnerabilities owing to their circumstances.”

The consultation was organised by Plan India, a leading NGO working on child development in partnership with Academy of Gandhian Studies (AGS). Distinguished delegates included Mr. Nagargoje, IAS, Commissioner of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra, Pradeep Narayanan, Director, Programme Strategy and Policy, Plan India, Dr GRS Rao, Chairman, Academy of Gandhian Studies and Gopala Krishna Murthy, Member Secretary, Academy of Gandhian Studies and Ms Vaidyanathan Krishna Murthy, Samhita Social Ventures.

Gopala Krishna Murthy, Member Secretary of Academy of Gandhian Studies said, “This workshop is a platform to bring together policy makers, planners and implementers from both government as well as civil society groups to share their experiences of various programmes preventing child marriage, child labour, missing and runaway children.”

The consultation also reviewed the existing best practices, effectiveness of government policies, legislation and programmes in addressing the rights and entitlements of the most vulnerable children. The participants discussed about multiple causes and situations leading to increased vulnerabilities and denial of rights to children and attempted to find possible solutions to these problems.

Participants acknowledged that promoting knowledge management and collaborative processes, including research are important drivers in influencing policies, practices and investment to improve the lives of children in difficult circumstances.

A consolidated report on the situation of vulnerable and excluded children from Eastern India comprising six states and one union territory (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) was presented at the East Indian Regional Conference on ‘Children in Difficult Circumstances’ organised by Plan India. Experts from various state institutes, UN bodies and Civil Society Organisations participated in the discussion.

The findings of the eastern regional consultation will be part of the National Conference on Children in Difficult Circumstances in November 2016 in New Delhi. The conference will provide a unique opportunity to child rights organisations, development practitioners, researchers and policy makers across India to deliberate on issues relating to the numerous problems faced by children and the commitments via practices, programmes, policies and investment required to address these.

Children in difficult circumstances comprise of children living on the streets and working, children affected by HIV/AIDS, victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, children of female sex workers and child labourers. Millions of children continue to be denied their basic rights and entitlements such as food, shelter, education, medical care, protection and security owing to their situation.

As per current statistics, 23 million children below the age of six years are malnourished (ICDS Status Report), 19 million children are living and working on the urban streets of India (UNHCHR Report) and 4.3 million children remain still employed as child labourers (2011 Census of India).

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Pradeep Narayanan, Director, Programme Strategy and Policy, Plan India said, “Plan India, through its programmes and project interventions attempts to highlight and ensure the access of their rights and entitlements of children who face multiple deprivation and vulnerabilities owing to their circumstances. Among the groups that Plan India has worked with are : Child labourers, Children of Female Sex Workers, Street and Working Children, Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CABA) and Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking (VOCSETs), children with disabilities, children from tribal communities.”

The consultation was organised by Plan India, a leading NGO working on child development in partnership with Child in Need Institute (CINI). Distinguished delegates included – Shashi Panja, Minister-in-Charge, Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, Arti Kujur, Chairperson, Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, N.G. Hira, IAS,Commissioner and Director, ICDS, Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Richa Mishra, IFS, Director, Directorate of Child Rights and Trafficking, Government of West Bengal, Kalyan Rath, Deputy Secretary, Child Welfare and Women and Child Development, Government of Odisha, Subrato Roy Gupta, Scientist National Informatics Centre, Shanti Kindo, Member, Child Labour Commission, Government of Jharkhand, Roshni Sen, IAS, Secretary, Child Development Department and Women Development and Social welfare Department, Govt of West Bengal, Imamuddin Ahmad, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Bihar.

Dr. Samir Chaudhuri, Director, CINI said, “This workshop is a platform to bring together policy makers, planners and implementers from both government as well as civil society groups to share their experiences of various programmes preventing child marriage, child labour, missing and runaway children.”

The consultation also reviewed the existing best practices, effectiveness of government policies, legislation and programmes in addressing the rights and entitlements of the most vulnerable children. The participants discussed about multiple causes and situations leading to increased vulnerabilities and denial of rights to children and attempted to find possible solutions to these problems.

Participants acknowledged that promoting knowledge management and collaborative processes, including research are important drivers in influencing policies, practices and investment to improve the lives of children in difficult circumstances.

To commemorate International Day of the Girl on October 11, a UN-declared international observance day to support greater opportunities for girls and end gender discrimination, girls will step into the roles of influential leaders and change-makers across the world in a series of takeovers. From India to Canada, girls will stage over 200 historic “takeovers” in more than 50 countries as they become Presidents, Mayors, Senior Directors and TV presenters for a day to raise their voice for justice and equality. By occupying spaces and places where they are rarely seen or heard, girls will draw attention to gender inequality and claim their rights.

In India, girls in the age group of 13-25 years from marginalised communities will perform various roles like managing traffic, editing a newspaper, taking over as RJ, as village sarpanchs, school principals and as a senior manager in the corporate sector.

In Delhi, Yasmin a 20 year old undergraduate student will take over the role of a senior manager of a global pharmaceutical company, Daiichi Sankyo, for one day.

Shatabdi, a 15 year old girl from Delhi is representing India in Spain’s celebration of International Day of the Girl where she will hold discussions with political representatives at the National Parliament, Spanish Youth Committee and with school children to promote equality for girls worldwide. She will also be participating in a takeover of the Madrid City Hall, Spanish Cinema Institute, Justice Court, Radio Station and Plan International Office for one day.

Sixteen year old Ruby who will take over as radio jockey for Radio Mirchi, 23 year old Sunita will take over as an editor of a national newspaper and 100 girls will manage traffic at 4 major locations in Delhi.

In addition to these, 10 metro stations in Delhi will have signage and people will be requested to pledge their support for a safe Delhi. The metro stations include Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Chawri Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Uttam Nagar East, Janak Puri West, Anand Vihar, Vishwavidyalaya and Shahdara.

“Young people have a fundamental right and plenty of innovative ideas to be valuable and contributing members in decision-making. The more that we work with governments, in corporate environments and in development, the faster we will make change happen,” said 20-year-old Yasmin, from Delhi, who took over Daiichi Sankyo.

Girls from other parts of India will also play key roles in order to raise awareness on gender related issues. 13 year old Bhavani will become ACP and take over a police station in Hyderabad, 14 year old Shivangi will act as a Sashastra Seema Bal Assistant Commandant at the Indo-Nepal Border in Sonauli, while 10 girls will act as Sarpanchs of villages and the headmistress of schools located in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh for a day.

The global action is being staged as part of Plan International’s “Because I am a Girl” campaign which advocates for all girls to have power and freedom to learn, lead, decide and thrive.

“Securing girls rights is a critical social justice issue of our time. It is our responsibility to create an environment that will enable every girl to fulfil her dreams. Through the takeovers and by occupying spaces and places where they are rarely seen or heard, girls will seek to highlight the challenges they face and represent their power and determination to build a more equal world that values girls, promotes their rights and ends injustice,” said Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India.

Apart from India, girls’ takeover events are being done across the world. This includes taking over the role as Director General of UN Office in Geneva, President of Nepal, Mayor of Dublin, Minister of Status of Women in Canada, Headmaster of a school in China and Japan, Minister of Human Rights in Pakistan, Vice President of Talent and Development of Robi Axiata Ltd. in Bangladesh, Minister of Education in Egypt, Deputy Commissioner of Department of Police in Zimbabwe, take over a position in MSNBC and Nickelodeon in USA, Vice Minister of Education in Timor Leste, Minister of Manpower and Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection in Indonesia, President of the National Assembly, to name a few.

Achieving gender equality is one of the Global Goals that were agreed by world leaders in 2015 and which promises to transform the world by 2030.This is the fifth International Day of the Girl and Plan International stands up for equality and works together to create opportunities for girls to engage in spaces where they are traditionally not seen or heard to illustrate every girl’s right to equal opportunities.

To commemorate International Day of the Girl on October 11, a UN-declared international observance day to support greater opportunities for girls and end gender discrimination, teenage girls from marginalised communities stepped into the roles of traffic policemen and manned traffic in New Delhi.

The celebration of the International Day of Girl Child is part of a 3 year collaboration between the European Union (EU) and Plan India for promoting gender equality and combating discrimination against girls, which began in May 2015 in selected districts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The EU currently funds 3 large initiatives on the rights of the girl child in India, with a specific focus on eliminating sex-selective abortions.

European Union Ambassador to India, Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski inaugurated the takeover and distributed badges to the girls belonging to marginalised communities.

120 girls manned traffic for two hours at multiple locations in Delhi, namely Rajpath, Mandi House, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Windsor Circle. They were assisted by traffic police personnel, most of who were women. Dressed in pink t-shirts, the young girls displayed signage and posters on gender equality as well as girls’ rights. Passerby were also handed stickers with the message “Be a Driver of Change”.

Inaugurating the initiative, Mr. Kozlowski said, “Ensuring that girls feel respected and valued in society is the first step to breaking down the barriers of discrimination. Today, on International Day of the Girl, we remember that empowering girls and women is not just our moral duty, it is also the solution to many of the greatest challenges we face in the quest for development and peace: Investing in girls is investing in peace and prosperity”.

On the occasion, Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said, “Despite significant progress over the last several decades toward girls’ and women’s equal participation, gaps still remain. By occupying such spaces and places where they are rarely seen or heard, it is a step towards promoting gender inequality and claiming their rights.”

Besides manning traffic, girls also took over important roles even in corporate houses, media publications and radio stations for a day, last week to commemorate International Day of the Girl. Going forward, 10 metro stations in Delhi will also have signage and people will be requested to pledge their support for a safer Delhi, from October 11-20. The metro stations include Rajiv Chowk, Chawri Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Uttam Nagar East, Janak Puri West, Anand Vihar, Vishwavidyalaya and Shahdara.

The International Day of the Girl was celebrated in more than 50 countries of the world where girls were undertaking historic “takeovers” becoming presidents, mayors, senior directors, school principals, editor of a newspaper and radio presenters for a day to raise their voice for justice and equality.

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 of the United Nations, which is to ‘Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls’, India will require the inclusion of ‘missing girls’, change of social-cultural behavior and political action – leadership, commitment and accountability. Plan India’s Because I am a Girl (BIAAG) 2016 findings, which will be used to track progress of SDG 5, is the latest call to action.

The key findings of the report has also identified two other pertinent issues jeopardizing the prospect of gender equality in India namely, safety and security of young girls and strong cultural compulsion and inclination towards son preference.

This BIAAG 2016 report is an initiative of baseline study of adolescent girls in the country and data has been collected from various sources such as Government agencies, International Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations working for adolescent girls rights and women empowerment. Each year, through the life span of SDG, i.e., until 2030, the report will track overall progress of adolescent girls based on the missionary goals of SDGs, especially related to reduction of poverty and hunger, assurance of good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, partnership and network for development, etc.

The findings are a part of a 3-year collaboration between the European Union (EU) and Plan India a leading child rights development organisation working for promoting gender equality and combating discrimination against girls, which began in May 2015 in selected districts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The EU currently funds 3 large initiatives on the rights of girls in India, with a specific focus on eliminating sex-selective abortions.

The Child Sex Ratio (CSR) is alarming in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand and in these states and there is significant need to address gender discrimination. Compared with the national data, birth registration percentage is at a lower side in all the above states.

As per Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India, “The aim of the study is to assess performance of India on SDGs and especially for SDGs relevant to gender discrimination. It will explore whether India has taken decisive steps to fulfil SDGs relevant to gender discrimination specifically to tackle female foeticide.”

“Governments will be in a better position to formulate policies facing millions of girls if vital data about them is made available. The forthcoming report basis this baseline study will push to the forefront the need for making girls and their realities visible. This is the very first step towards girl empowerment,” she added.

Key findings also reveal sex ratio at birth is fluctuating. Several reasons can be attributed to the phenomenon namely; neglect of girls, selective female abortion, female infanticide.

Besides highlighting the gaps, the key findings of the study highlights pathways to address the issues through innovative programmes for fulfilling rights of every girl in order to ‘make the invisible visible’. Key action points to be undertaken as per the study report include stricter implementation of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act through well-defined planning, strategy and monitoring mechanisms at district level, greater awareness of various government schemes, laws, programmes meant for welfare of the girls, active participation of civil society organisations and academia in the policy making process of the government, effective implementation of various programmes in league with NGOs as partners in development and lastly establish joint monitoring mechanisms between government and non-government agencies at different echelon of administration.

The issue of ‘Missing girls’ has been a key concern for India along with the rest of the world. This includes the number of girls lost due to the practice of female foeticide, female infanticide as well as those who fall prey to girl trafficking. During 2001-2012, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Maharashtra together accounted for more than 70% (3.3 lakh out of 4.56 lakh) of the missing girls at birth annually in India. Even during the second half of the period (2007-2012), the share of missing girls from these four states continued to be high at nearly 85% of the all India total (2.75 lakh out of 3.29 lakh) Punjab and Haryana saw the highest proportion of female births that did not take place annually out of the total female births; acute 17% for Punjab and 13.4% for Haryana during the first half of the period. However, these two states saw an improvement in the trend during second half.

The 2001-2012 period witnessed a substantial number of girls missing at birth each year, with the figure peaking to an estimated 7 lakhs in year 2004. Estimates for the year 2012 are encouraging, lower than the average of 3.3 lakhs for 2007-12 and well below the average for entire period 2001-12 (4.56 lakhs). The unavailability of women for marriage in certain regions due to skewed sex ratio has triggered the need to get/buy women from other regions.

The BIAAG 2016 baseline report findings were presented at a national level workshop involving members from the government, academicians and NGOs. Participants included Dr. J P Kapoor, Director, Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr. Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to India; Uday Warunjikar, Senior Advocate, Mumbai High Court, Dr.Vemuri Muralidhar, Retired Professor,Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, JNU, Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India and Ms. Usha Rai, Development Journalist from New Delhi.

Plan India has been implementing programme on education, early childhood care, youth employment, household economy and income generation programme that ensure girls and women are being protected within their own community and they enjoy freedom from exploitation, abuse, violence both within and outside of their home. Through continuous and constructing efforts Plan India envisions to create an environment.

Plan India, in partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries, launched the ‘Swachta se Shiksha ki Aur’ project in Primary Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The project will benefit over 400 children under the school improvement programme and will have the key components of providing water and sanitation facilities, along with educational facilities.

Anil Baliyan, Deputy Director, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, along with employees from Samsung Heavy Industries from India and Korea, school teachers, School Management Committee members, students and community members inaugurated the project. The employees of Plan India, Samsung and school children volunteered for a day to develop a play space in the school premise as well.

The key component of the project is to create a child friendly, stimulating and inclusive infrastructure in school and strengthen capacities of the teachers and school administrators to promote quality education and hygiene practices among children.

The project will jointly be implemented by the government school and will be managed by the School Management Committee once it is handed over. Some of the essential activities are to develop hygienic habits among children in the school, install and promote safe and clean drinking water facilities with solar power for uninterrupted water supply in the school, age appropriate drinking water points and hand-washing points for easy access to young children and most importantly separate toilets for boys and girls. The school will also be equipped with a digitally equipped resource centre to inculcate the habit of reading among the children and to enhance their understanding on using internet as a search tool. All this will be undertaken through a structured curriculum on school wash and education. The project also aims to train school teachers on computer aided learning technique for promoting accelerated learning among the children.

A consolidated report on the situation of vulnerable and excluded children from India comprising 28 states and four union territories was presented at the National Conference on ‘Plan For Every Child’ for Children in Difficult Circumstances. Representatives from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, various state agencies, UN bodies and Civil Society Organisations participated in the discussion.

Child labour and trafficking have emerged as the key problems faced by the majority of vulnerable children across India in the state and regional consultations. Street and working children are also a key concern reported by 80% states (26 states out of 32). 75% (24 states out of 32) reported missing and trafficked children as a third major concern. 19 states across 3 regions (North, South and West regions) reported the issue of child marriage as a major concern. All states in East and Northeast India reported on issues of Children Affected by AIDS while all Northeastern states reported the issue of Substance abuse.

The findings are the result of consultations held over three months with over 2,000 civil society organisations including government departments working with children living in difficult circumstances. The consultations were conducted in 28 states and four Union Territories with participation of 1,500 representatives and five regional consultations with participation of 500 representatives from national and regional NGOs, the UN agencies, government institutions, national and global networks and coalitions, corporates, media, academicians, legal professionals, children, youth and communities.

Children in Difficult Circumstances are those living on the streets and working, those affected by HIV/AIDS, victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, children of female sex workers and child labourers. Plan India through its innovative programmes would ensure that all related endeavors promote access to rights, equity and justice as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Government of India’s National Plan of Action for children 2016 which is committed to “putting the last child first”.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said, “Millions of children continue to be denied their basic rights and entitlements such as food, shelter, education, medical care, protection and security because of their circumstances. The ‘Plan for Every Child’ initiative will provide unique opportunity to child rights organisations, development practitioners, researchers and policy makers to address the numerous problems faced by children and reinforce commitments through practices, programmes, policies and investment.”