A convergence meeting was held in Nashik, Maharashtra, with the taskforce under the chairmanship of Mr. Jalaj Sharma, IAS, Collector and District Magistrate, Nashik. The meeting was attended by Mr. Sunil Dusane, District Women and Child Development Officer (DWCDO); Adv. Milind Babar, Child Welfare Committee Chairperson; the Child Development Program Officer; the Deputy Commissioner of Nashik Municipal Corporation; the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU); and various NGOs, including the Miracle Foundation India team. Key discussions included health, education, labor and rural development.

Discussions also centered on the collaborative program between the Nashik Women and Child Development Department and Miracle Foundation India for transforming family strengthening and family-based alternative care in Nashik district. The core objective of this program is to initiate child protection and family strengthening efforts by establishing community-based child protection mechanisms, as outlined under the Mission Vatsalya guidelines. The initiative will begin in two locations within Nashik city.

As a next step, a core group has been formed for effective implementation, comprising members from the Women and Child Development Department, DCPU, Integrated Child Development Services workforce, Health Department, Childline, Umed Abhiyan (Livelihood Mission), and NGOs. DWCDO will lead the program in collaboration with other line departments and Nashik Municipal Corporation, with Miracle Foundation India serving as the technical partner.