PIB News Update:Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani has informed that National Creche Scheme (earlier named as Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme) is being implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme through States/UTs with effect from 1.1.2017 to provide day care facilities to children (age group of 6 months to 6 years) of working mothers. The salient features of the National Creche Scheme are as follows:
- Daycare Facilities including Sleeping Facilities.
- Early Stimulation for children below 3 years and pre-school Education for 3 to 6 years old children.
- Supplementary Nutrition ( to be locally sourced)
- Growth Monitoring
- Health Check-up and Immunization
Further, the guidelines provide that :
- Crèches shall be open for 26 days in a month and for seven and half (7-1/2) hours per day.
- The number of children in the crèche should not be more than 25 per crèche with 01 Worker and 01 helper respectively.
- User charges to bring in an element of community ownership and collected as under:
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- BPL families – Rs 20/- per child per month.
- Families with Income (Both Parents) of upto Rs. 12,000/- per month – Rs. 100/- per child per month
- Families with Income (Both Parents) of above Rs. 12,000/- per month – Rs. 200/- per child per month.
As on 11.03.2020, 6453 creches are functional across the country under the National Creche Scheme.
Grants have been released to the State Governments/UT Administration for crèches found functional and taken over by them.
As on date, the Government of Kerala has taken over 479 creches under the erstwhile RGNCS and running under National Creche Scheme.
Regular and strict monitoring is conducted at different levels to ensure effective running of the Scheme and also to ensure that the beneficiaries are delivered services as envisaged in the Scheme. Monitoring of implementation of the scheme is being undertaken through meetings and video conferences with the officials of State Governments/ UT. Ministry officials undertake field visits to ascertain the status of implementation of the scheme. NITI Aayog conducts the third party evaluation.