Govt initiates measures to appoint SCPCR chairperson

Ranchi: The state govt's department of social welfare, women and child development has initiated steps to reactivate the Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), which has been virtually lying defunct for the past year owing to the non-appointment of its chairperson.
On Monday, officials in the department said a formal application will be uploaded on JAP-IT's website in the next couple of days, seeking eligible candidates. The undersecretary of the department, Vikrama Ram, said last week, that they had forwarded the application form proforma to JAP-IT for publication on its portal. "In a day or two, it will be uploaded," he said. The department is inviting applications for the post of chairperson as well as a member.
According to the rules, the commission has a strength of seven members, including the chairman. In February last year, the govt removed then SCPCR chairperson Kajal Yadav and a member, Sunil Kumar Verma. The govt had said the termination of their services was taken in "public interest" even though critics, including then National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanungoo, stood by the dismissed chairperson and accused the govt of removing them as they were against "forced conversion" of schoolchildren at a few places.
The govt, however, had denied the charges. Since then, the commission was going without a chairperson even though it continued to have five other general members.
Baidhnath Kumar, the secretary of the Child Rights Foundation (CRY), said the maximum power of the commission rests with the chairperson, rendering SCPCR defunct. "In recent times, crimes against children are on the rise and cases of eve-teasing against minors in school vans and buses have come to light. However, SCPCR couldn't take cognizance of any matter because there was no chairman. This apart, there are several works which SCPCR is mandated to do in the interest of protection of child rights which couldn't take place due to lack of a chairperson," he said, hoping that SCPCR would be activated soon.
He said the govt must appoint credible persons as SCPCR chairperson and members.
"Most of the time, those without any experience of working for child rights are appointed due to political patronage," he claimed.