Haryana Became the First State in the country to introduce C rèche Policy

• 27 Jul 2023

Why In News?

On July 26, 2023, Haryana Women and Child Development Department issued notification of Haryana State Creche Policy-2022, which will benefit the working women of the state. With this, Haryana has become the first state in the country to bring a crèche policy.

Key Points:

• Regarding the crèche policy, Minister of State Kamlesh Dhanda said that the state government has formulated this policy keeping in mind the working women, under which a child aged six months to six years can be kept in the crèche for eight to ten hours.
• Skilled and trained personnel will be deployed in the crèche. In this, the crèche worker will be given a salary of Rs 15,000 and the assistant will be given a salary of Rs 7,500 per month.
• According to the department's Additional Chief Secretary Sumita Mishra, it will be mandatory for all institutions with more than 50 employees to open crèches in the state.
• The crèche will have all arrangements for children's play items and toys as well as nutritious food, regular health check-up and vaccination, sleeping arrangements, education and physical and socio-emotional development.
• It is known that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already issued instructions to open 500 crèches. So far, 165 crèches have been started in 16 districts in the state. These will be upgraded under the new policy.
• The Women and Child Development Department has tied up with the Mobile Crèche Organization to set up a crèche with modern facilities. These creches will be open 26 days in a month. Identity cards of parents and staff will also be made for the safety of children.
• No child will be left alone in the crèche. The child will also be given morning breakfast, lunch and evening snacks in the crèche and the government will bear the cost of this. One thousand rupees will be given every month for cleanliness. There will also be arrangements for children's sleeping and feeding room in the crèche.
• In the crèche policy, the maximum distance from the office of working women has been fixed at 500 meters.
• Families whose annual income is less than one lakh rupees for crèche, Rs 50 for each child, Rs 100 for one lakh to 1.80 lakh, Rs 250 for 1.80 lakh to three lakh, Rs 350 for three to five lakh annual income. 500 per month for income above Rs.5 lakh and above Rs.5 lakh.