Over the years, HAQ: Centre for Child Rights’ survey of childrelated Parliament questions has come to be increasingly referred to by interest groups working in the area of Child Rights. It not only delineates the time spent by our honourable members, our elected representatives, on issues concerning children on the floor of the House but also is an effective measure of how devoted our lawmakers are to children. On the part of HAQ, it involves a stupendous amount of effort in collecting, collating and subsequently analysing all the questions raised in both Houses to select those that are most pertinent to the issues of development, health, education and protection of children. Children Issues Raised in Parliament 2010 HAQ: Center for Child Rights B1/2, Ground Floor, Malviya Nagar New Delhi - 110017 Tel: +91-26677412,26673599 Fax: +91-26674688 Website: www.haqcrc.org FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HaqCentreForChildRights

1. Children Issues Raised in Parliament 20101
Prepared by
1
This analysis is based on the questions raised in the three sessions of Parliament, 2010. Information for the
analysis has been obtained from website www.parliamentofindia.nic.in.

2. Session wise Breakup of Child Focused Questions in both the Houses of Parliament 2010
House Budget Session Monsoon Session Winter Session Total for 2010
Total
(SQ+UQ)
Child Total
(SQ+UQ)
Child Total
(SQ+UQ)
Child Total
(SQ+U
Q)
Child
Number Per cent Number Per cent Number Per cent Number Per cent
Lok Sabha 9678 260 2.69 6097 176 2.89 6220 95 1.53 21995 531 2.41
Rajya Sabha 5368 95 1.77 3960 100 2.53 4200 149 3.55 13528 344 2.54
Total 13528 355 2.62 10057 276 2.74 10420 244 2.34 34005 877 2.57
Source: parliamentofindia.nic.in
Note: SQ: Starred question UQ: Unstarred Question

3. Sectorwise Child Focused Questions
Sector Budget (LS+RS) Monsoon(LS+RS) Winter(LS+RS)
Total
Education 196 158 120
Protection 73 58 44
Health 54 36 53
Development 32 26 27
Total 355 278 244
Lok Sabha
Education 147 91 46
Protection 51 49 18
Health 38 23 20
Development 24 13 11
Total 260 176 95
Rajya Sabha
Education 49 67 74
Protection 22 9 26
Health 16 12 33
Development 8 12 16
Total 95 100 149
Note: LS-Lok Sabha RS-Rajya Sabha

4. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Protection Question raised in this sector can be grouped under the following issues:
Protection
Crimes against children-
• whether instances of sexual abuse and rape of
children is on the rise
• total number of such cases of child abuse
reported on the last 3 years and present
• solved and unsolved cases on child abuses and
action taken against the accused and to curb
such cases in the future
Child labour-
• statewise details of implementation of the
Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act,
1986, including rescue and rehabilitation and
action taken against the accused
Juvenile Justice system-
• whether juvenile crimes are increasing
• details of child protection units being set
up under the Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000
Crimes against children-
• details of missing children
• UNICEF report on child marriage
• implementation of Child Marriage
Restraint Act
• theft of infants from hospitals
• prevention of begging
• prevention of female foeticide
Child labour –
• amendment in the child labour
law
• rehabilitation of rescued child
labourers
• UNICEF survey in child labour
• Details about number of child
labour in varied industries
Juvenile Justice system-
• proposed amendment in the
Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000
• status of setting up of Juvenile
Justice Boards as per instructions
of Apex Court
• juvenile crimes, legal
Crimes against children-
• number of cases of child abuse
and action planned by the
government. to prevent such
incidences
• details of missing children in the
last 3 years
• details of child marriages in last 3
years particularly in Bihar and
Rajasthan
• whether the Prohibition of Child
Marriage Act has been successful
in its implementation
• details of instances of human
trafficking including children
• state wise sex ratio
• number of cases of child rights
violations in past 3 years
Child labour
• details of National Human Rights
commission (NHRC) report of
children working in private coal
mines and government action
taken
• details of process to identify
bonded and child labour

5. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Protection proceedings against children
under JJ act
• statewise number of shelter
homes for children
• details about functioning of
National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights
(NCPCR)
• guidelines for adoption
• details of schools under National
Child Labour Project (NCLP)
Children in need of care and
protection
• number of orphan children and
orphanages in the country
• details of homes for children with
special needs
• number of shelter homes being
run under SWADHAR scheme
Health Question raised in this sector can be grouped under the following issues:
Health
Malnutrition-
• percentage of women & children suffering
from malnutrition in the country including
Bihar during last 3 years and current year,
details of schemes being implemented by
the government
• nutritional status of children in India
• surveys conducted on prevalence of
malnutrition among children and
preventive measures taken thereof
• number of child deaths caused due to
malnutrition
• details of infant mortality due to
malnutrition, budget allocated by the
government to bring down infant mortality
rate
Malnutrition –
• statistics on deaths caused by
malnutrition
• incidence of TB among those
suffering from malnutrition,
among tribals
• World Health Organisation
(WHO) norms on anaemia and
malnutrition,
• role of national advisory board
to curb malnutrition
Polio-
• Information on number of
cases, polio eradication
programme
Malnutrition-
• details of malnourished
children in the country and
steps taken by the government
to improve the situation,
• status of hunger and
malnutrition in the country,
details of underweight children
Vaccines-
• details of child deaths due to
spurious vaccinations
• immunization of under 5
children and steps taken in the
last 3 years to ensure full
immunisation

6. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Health
Polio-
• number of polio cases reported in the
country till date
• reasons for rise of polio cases
• number of children fell unconscious or died
during anti-polio drive in country and
details of any inquiry done into it by the
government
Primary Health Centres (PHCs)-
• details and numbers of centres set up state
wise, including Maharashtra & in other
backward areas;
• whether medicines are freely available in
PHCs;
• whether the Union Government have any
proposal to formulate any scheme for
primary healthcare & treatment in tribal
areas & Madhya Pradesh
Vaccines-
• details of pandemic vaccines imported by
the government
• safety of the vaccines in Indian Climate
• whether the government has asked some
international manufacturers for the selling of
Influenza A H1N1 vaccines in the country
Vaccines-
• immunization of children,
H1N1, vaccine for IMR, BCG
vaccine procurement, deaths
caused by vaccinations
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)-
• drop in IMR among tribal
• child mortality due to
pneumonia and diarrhoea
• harmful effects of Chinese toys,
• eradication and goals of hunger
Infant and child mortality rate-
• average annual maternity and
infant deaths from
malnutrition and pregnancy
related diseases
• whether the government has
constituted a plan to check
mortality rate,
• details of under 5 mortality
prevailing in the country
• India’s rank in world hunger
index

7. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Development In Development sector majority of the
Development
In this session questions were related to the
implementation status of Integrated child
Development Schemes(ICDS):
• number of anganwadi workers in the
country
• possible government proposals to raise
honorarium of anganwadi, training &
pension, insurance schemes of workers
• lack or presence of basic facilities in the
anganwadi centres & details of government
action taken thereof
• number of children, pregnant & lactating
mothers accessing the services in
anganwadi centres
• complaints regarding discontinuation of
food supply at anganwadi centres due to
non -payment of funds and if so, remedial
steps taken by government
• restructuring of pre-school education
component of ICDS
• details of supplementary nutrition
programme, government plans to revise
rates of nutritious food in view of price rise
& details thereof
• government efforts to cover left out
children, funds allocated to and used by
questions on ICDS were about:
• Corruption in anganwadi centres,
• Proposals about handing
anganwadi centres over to NGOs
• honorarium, guidelines for urban
anganwadis,
• working conditions and facilities
at anganwadi
• children falling ill at anganwadi
centres
• child care leave and
implementation,
• status on universalisation of ICDS
• details of Flagship schemes
and programmes in the
country and their
implementation
• budget allocation and details
of
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for
Empowerment of Adolescent
Girls (SABLA) scheme
• status of feeding ‘ready to eat’
food to children under the
ICDS scheme
• details of implementation of
Rajiv Gandhi Creche Scheme in
the country and details of
misappropriation of funds, if
any
• restructuring of ICDS
• whether children of migrant
workers are eligible to go to
nearby ICDS centres,
• whether the planning
commission planned to scrap
the ICDS scheme
• details of anganwadi centres in
all villages in the country

8. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Development state governments-like Karnataka and
Bihar
• funds allocation for ICDS in Maharashtra
• schemes to train anganwadi
workers
Education Questions on education can be grouped under the following issues:
Education
Right to Education Act (RTE)-
• implementation and enforcement of RTE
• shortage of primary school teachers & in
rural areas and proposal to upgrade them
Mid-day Meal (MDM)
• concerns on poor quality of food
distributed in schools under MDM
• details of children who fell ill after
consuming MDM in last 3 years &
corrective measures taken by the
government
• whether government has recently
reviewed the functioning of the scheme in
the country,
• positive impact on enrolment in schools
Teachers-
• proposals to review existing teacher
training programme and curriculum &
relevant details
• proposals to amend the National Council
RTE-
• details regarding violation of
RTE
• implementation status and
amendments,
• concern of Muslims, objections
of minorities
MDM-
• details of children and schools
covered under the
• irregularities and unhygienic
food distributed under the
scheme
Teachers-
• shortage of teachers in Assam
• teachers for special children
• presently vacant posts and
untrained teachers
• student teacher ratio
• training courses offered to
RTE-
• details of implementation of
RTE and establishment of
monitoring agency for the
same
• number of out of school
children
• public awareness campaigns
for RTE Act
• details of school enrolment
after implementation of the
RTE Act and any violations of
the Act by schools
• adoption of schools under
public private partnership
• details of financial assistance
to states for the
implementation of the Act
• recruitment of teachers for the
RTE Act and coverage of
children with special needs
under the same

9. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Education
for Teachers Education ( NCTE) Act,
Kendriya & Navodaya Vidyalayas-
• norms for opening Kendriya Vidyalayas
(KVs) in country & backward areas of
Rajasthan, funds earmarked & sanctioned
for the same
• decline in education standard of Navodaya
Vidyalayas
• land allocation for setting up KVs
• whether more than 2.5 lakh posts of
teachers are lying vacant in KV
Special groups-
• teachers & facilities in school for disabled
children ( mental and physical)
Education in rural areas-
• not up to mark standard of education in
rural areas
• details of primary school in rural areas
teachers
Kendriya & Navodaya Vidyalayas-
• opening of KV in naxal affected
areas,
• opening of new KVs
• KVs running without buildings
Special groups-
• schools, scholarships, hostels
available for special children
• schemes for SCs, STs and OBCs
• fee reimbursement for OBCs
Schemes-
• details about misuse of funds
under the schemes Rashtriya
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
(RMSA)
• financial assistance released to
states for Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan(SSA)
• monitoring of central and state
grants for SSA
• details of number of children
enrolled in schools in the
public sector and admission of
poor children in public schools
• details of guidelines to ban
corporal punishment
MDM
• coverage of students under the
MDM scheme
• whether the scheme has
increased enrolment in schools
• details of food poisoning cases
• number of workers under the
MDM scheme and details of
their wages
• whether the tribal students of
certain states in Central India
have access to MDM
Teachers
•details of teacher absenteeism
and high drop out rate in schools
•extent of shortage of qualified
teachers for primary schools in
rural areas
•current estimates of teacher-

10. Child Focused Questions raised in the Parliament Sessions in 2010
Session Budget Monsoon Winter
Education
pupil ratio
Schemes-
•funds demanded and granted
under SSA scheme in the last 3
years
•implementation and review of
SSA in Uttar Pradesh
•construction of school buildings
in Rajasthan under SSA