Daycare centre in Supreme Court: Ahead of its launch, petition filed on drawbacks of creche

Petitioner Anindita Pujari challenged the validity of the notice dated June 10, whereby the court invited applications for the post of in-charge as well as helper of the creche. It pointed out that the salary indicated for the post of helper is Rs 6,000 only, whereas the minimum wages in Delhi are Rs 9,048 for unskilled workers and more for semi-skilled and skilled labourers.

[related-post]

Further, the petition settled by senior advocate Indira Jaising, stated the notice did not prescribe any specialised knowledge or experience for managing the creche and this “ad hoc” approach shall not further boost the purpose of having such a facility.

It also said the fixing of children’s age between 6 months to 2 years as unreasonable, and added that if the provision for a daycare centre was to be made effective, it had to cater to the needs of children up to 6 years, who require early childhood care.

Limiting the number of children to only 10 and fixing the last date of admission as June 23 were “highly arbitrary, and discriminatory and were violative of the principle of equality”, the petition contended.

“Fresh, and healthy diet is a pre-requisite for healthy growth of the child and as such not having any provision for meals and evening snacks does not ensure an effective childcare centre,” said the plea, adding the fee also require to be reduced and should be adjusted from the bar association fund.