APSCPCR chief calls for CWC, DCPU in Markapuram district

Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) Vetukuri AVSSN Raju, Chairman during a one-day district level workshop and review meeting at Collectorate, Ongole on Tuesday. | Photo credit: KOMMURI SRINIVAS

Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) Chairman Vetukuri AVS Surya Narayana Raju has recommended the state government to set up a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and a District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in the newly created Markapuram district. During his two-day visit to the district, Prakasam also found several lapses in child protection and ordered remedial measures.

Accompanied by APSCPCR member Vundavalli Gandhi Babu conducted a one-day district level workshop and review meeting with officials of DCPU and other concerned departments at the Ongola Collectorate on Tuesday. They asked Labor Department officials about the number of child labor cases reported recently in the combined district.

The APSCPCR chief also sought information on the number of child marriages, child labor and forced labor cases recorded in the district in the last two years. He asked about the FIR filed by the police and the follow-up reports. He discussed the number of girls re-enrolled in school and awareness programs being held on the anti-child marriage law.

Mr. Surya Narayana Raju also reviewed the number of Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) cases registered in the district and discussed the coordination between the District Medical and Health Department, Women and Child Welfare Department and Education Department to deal with the issues in issuing birth certificates to children born in such cases.

He directed officials of municipal, district medical and health departments and rural water supply (RWS) department to coordinate providing better facilities to hostel students and ensure prevention of seasonal diseases. He also directed to maintain the quality and hygiene of meals provided to students in various welfare hostels across tribal areas in the district.

Earlier on Monday, Chairman APSCPCR and Mr. Vundavalli Gandhi Babu inspected several diagnostic and scanning centers in Ongola to assess compliance with the provisions of the Pre-Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT), which prohibits sex selection and regulates prenatal diagnosis procedures. They stressed the need to avoid any practices that could harm the girl.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 20:53 IST