Underprivileged children in Chandigarh find a home

Chandigarh, Oct 27 (IANS) There is good news for the underprivileged children of Chandigarh. The Union Territory administration Monday inaugurated a residential and vocational centre to rehabilitate street children.

Aimed at uplifting street children, orphans and other underprivileged children, the Street Children Home and Vocational Training Centre was inaugurated one day prior to Diwali by Gen. (retd) S.F. Rodrigues, administrator of Chandigarh.

'Any child between the age group of 5 to 18 years who works on the streets, single parent children needing special care or protection, children displaced due to natural disasters, orphans, handicapped or children having the impact of HIV/AIDS on their family would be eligible for admission in the centre,' Amandeep Kaur, director, social welfare told media persons.

The centre is spread over four and a half acres and can accommodate 900 children.

The centre has been divided into administrative-cum-educational block, vocational training block, three residential blocks, library-cum-recreational hall, music room, computer training centre, medical units, gymnasium and a playground.

'Out of the three residential blocks, the two blocks are meant for males and one is for female inmates. Each residential block is equipped with the facilities of dinning hall, kitchen along with a caretaker's residence. Special arrangements at ground floor have been made for handicapped children,' said the spokesperson of the administration.

The foundation stone of this Rs.74 million project was laid in Sep 2007.