Officials of all departments should make coordinated efforts to protect children’s rights and improve the district’s child welfare standards, said Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) members V. Gandhi Babu and Challa Madhusudhan Rao.

During a district-level review meeting held at the Collectorate in Machilipatnam on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) as part of their three-day tour, the Commission members, along with Joint Collector M. Naveen, assessed the implementation of programmes related to child rights, education, healthcare, nutrition, child protection, elimination of child labour and the Juvenile Justice Act. Officials from Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), education, health, police, labour, transport and welfare departments and other agencies took part in the review.

Mr. Gandhi Babu said though there were many laws for the protection of children, there were gaps in their implementation. He called for better coordination among departments to fix the loopholes.

The Commission reviewed the functioning of 1,707 anganwadi centres in the district and urged officials to provide immediate treatment and counselling for severely malnourished children through Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres. It asked departments to ensure safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, nutrition and proper implementation of welfare schemes.

Mr. Naveen urged officials to implement the Commission’s recommendations, submit action-taken reports every quarter, and ensure continuous monitoring to strengthen child protection and welfare across the district.

Published - August 06, 2026 12:13 pm IST