Bangalore, September 22 (Karnataka News):
The Chief Secretary has instructed to make it mandatory to display the child helpline number 1098 on the buildings of all government, semi-government/service institutions in the state.
Protection of children’s rights is an urgent need of the day. In this context, the Mission Vatsalya scheme implemented is one way to achieve the priority of child development and protection. It is giving more emphasis to the welfare of children in distress and challenges. The Children’s Helpline 1098 plays a significant role in identifying such children, sharing information in distress and providing rehabilitation services.
If this number is widely publicized, it will be possible to immediately respond to various types of child issues, including child marriage, child labor, and the protection of children in distress.
In this context, the Chief Secretary has instructed to mandatorily display the child helpline number 1098 on a permanent signboard on all buildings, including all government, semi-government, educational institutions, and private service institutions of the Karnataka government.
Some departments have already taken action in this regard. It has been learned that due to confusion in some departments, there is no direction in this regard, the number is not displayed on permanent boards. The Chief Secretary has asked the departments that have not displayed the child helpline number on permanent boards to take immediate action and display the child helpline number 1098 on the permanent boards of their departments without creating any confusion.