For the last fifty-four years, employees of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), Mumbai’s oldest child-welfare institution, at 98 years old, have waited for basic justice. Despite risking their lives to protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children, these Class III and IV staff remain deprived of pension, medical cover, and leave encashment, even as similar organisations receive full state benefits. Many retired workers now live in heartbreaking poverty. The society’s proposals, supported by ministers, remain stuck with the state finance department despite requiring a budgetary allocation of only R1 crore annually. Employees now plead for urgent state government intervention or warn of a statewide agitation.

History

For the care of orphans, destitute, street children, those in conflict with law, victims of anti-social acts, and children with disabilities, the Bombay Children’s Act, 1924, was enacted. In 1927, the Children’s Aid Society, Mumbai, was formed under Governor Sir Leslie Wilson and Working President JBH Hodson, converting the historic Dongri Jail — famous in the freedom struggle — into India’s first remand home. Today, under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, the society runs seven residential homes, schools, and training centres, admitting children via the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committees, rehabilitating them into responsible, empowered adults.