All establishments with over 50 employees in Haryana will now be required to offer crèche facility. Yes, Haryana has become the first state in India to introduce a crèche policy.
Additional Chief Secretary of Women and Child Development Department Dr Sumita Misra has said that this will be mandatory for all institutions in the state with a workforce that is over 50 strong.
The Haryana State Crèche Policy 2022 was prepared by the Department of Women and Child Development provides that these crèches will have all the relavant toys and games that kids would require along with comfortable arrangement for kids to sleep and study. They will also offer nutritious meals, along with health check-up facility and vaccinations. The Department of Women and Child Development has entered into an agreement with Mobile Crèche Organisation to establish creches with modern amenities.
The 165 creches that have already been opened in 16 districts, will witness upgradation as per the new policy. Directions have been given for the launch of 500 creches across the state.
These crèches, which will be open 26 days a month, will have trained staff appointed under the Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRNL). While the crèche workers will be paid Rs 15,000 per month, the assistant workers will earn Rs 7,000 per month. Education programmes will also be conducted to ensure proper social and emotional development of the children.
To ensure the safety of the children, the parents as well as the crèche staff will be given ID cards. As per the rules, no child will be allowed to stay in the crèche alone. The children will be given breakfast, lunch and evening snacks at the government’s expense. Rs 1000 a month has been allotted for the cleaning and sanitation of these crèches, which will have separate rooms for meals and sleeping.
