Maharashtra to announce policy to regulate day care centres

The state government on Friday said that a policy to regulate day care centres and play schools would be announced soon

The state government on Friday said that a policy to regulate day care centres and play schools would be announced soon. The step was taken in view of an incident in Navi Mumbai in which a nine-month-old baby was assaulted by a help in Poorva Day Care Play School at Kharghar on November 21. Minister of state for home Ranjit Patil said that an assistant police inspector of the concerned police station would be suspended for not taking seriously a complaint by the girl’s parents.

The incident angered locals with around 80 activists from political parties taking down hoardings and breaking railings and shutters at the centre (Bachchan Kumar)

The issue was raised in the state assembly on Saturday by Sunil Prabhu, Prashant Thakur and several other legislators by way of a calling-attention notice.

During the debate, Patil said the grisly incident prompted the government to prepare a comprehensive policy to regulate the functioning of day care centers and playschools in the state. “There will be certain rules which will have to be followed by those running these centres,” he said.

Women and child development minister Pankaja Munde said the policy would make it mandatory for day care centres and playschools to be registered with the government, install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and get their employees registered with the police. She also said the government would work out a mechanism to train those who are looking for jobs to be assistants in day cares and playschools.

On the demand of legislators, Patil announced the suspension of the assistant police inspector of Kharghar police station who did not file a complaint immediately.

The brutal assault of a 10-month-old girl by a worker at Poorva Day Care Play School, Kharghar, in November shocked the city. The assault was captured by a CCTV camera and the footage quickly went viral. The police had filed case against the owner of the day care and arrested her and the worker, Patil said.

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