Desh Ke Mentor Programme-New measures

The Desh Ke Mentor Programme was launched by the Delhi Government in October 2021. The programme creates links between the class 9, class 10, class 11 and class 12 students with mentors.

What happened?

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights recommended the Delhi Government to suspend the Desh Ke Mentor Programme. Following this, the Delhi Government added new features. The concerns raised were against the safety and security of the children participating in the programme. Therefore, respective suggested changes were made.

Concerns raised by the Commission

The children and people unknown to them are brought together. This creates safety and security risks to the children. There is not police verification to provide the authenticity of the mentor. There are chances for child related crimes. A psychometric test is not enough to assess a person and his character.

Legality of the concerns

The concerns were raised under Section 13 and Section 15 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights act.

Newly added features

The police officers will verify the mentors. The conversation between the mentors and children are recorded. The mentors and the children are not allowed to meet offline. Only online meetings are allowed. The contact details of the mentors and the children will be hidden. Both the participants will not know about the whereabouts of each other.