Please describe the role of personal/customary laws in Indian Society and indicate how these laws relate to provincial and national laws as well as the Constitution. Further, please provide additional information on the inconsistencies between personal/customary laws and the Convention.

Please indicate the extent to which non-governmental organisations(NGOs) are involved in the design and/or implementation of policies and programmes for children.

Please indicate whether indicators have been developed and disaggregated data collected on the status of children, especially the most vulnerable groups, such as children victim of abuse or ill-treatment, children belonging to Sheduled Castes and Tribes, children living in remote rural areas and isolated rural communities, children living in Jammu, Kashmir, Orissa and the Northern regions, children born out of wedlock, children born of incestuous relations, children with diabiliities, girls, child brides, children working and/or living on the streets, children living in institutions, refugee children, and children belonging to minority religions. (Please see Chapter IX para 2.6 of page 77 in India Country Report.

In this regard, please also provide information on budgetary allocations at the state and district levels. Additionally, please provide information regarding the procedure and criteria used in allocating resources at the national, state, and district levels.

Please provide additional information on the measures taken and/or envisaged to ensure that the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are disseminated at all levels of society, including among children enrolled as well as those not enrolled in school; parents; and professionals working with and for children. (Please see Chapter II para 2.9 at page 12 in India Country Report)

With regard to information provided in paragraph 67 of the report, please provide an update on the proposal to have the Law Commission of India review the "definition of the child", in the light of article 1 and other related provisions of the Convention. (Please see Chapter III para 3.3 of page 18 in India Country Report)

With reference to information provided in paragraphs 65 of the report, concerning the legal definition of a juvenile under the Juvenile Justice Act 1960, please indicate the measures taken or envisaged to increase the legal age of a juvenile boy(16 years) to the equivalent of that of a juvenile girl(18 years) to ensure that boys between the age of 1`6-18 years are provided adequate protection under the law. (Please see Chapter III of page 16 in India Country Report)

With reference to information provided in paragraphs 80-82 of the report and in light of the principle of non-discrimination(article 2), please provide additional information on the legislation, policies and programmes(including methods of evaluation) implemented and/or foreseen to ensure non-discrimination of children of Scheduled Castes, particularly dalit or "untouchable" children; children of Scheduled Tribes, including those living in the Andaman Islands, the Northeastern region and remote rural and hill communities; children of Muslim and other religious minority families; children whose families are engaged in manual scavenging; girls; widow girls; children living and/or working on the streets; children of poor families; children born out of wedlock; and in all strata of society. (Please see Chapter IV, para 4.11 to 4.13 of page 22 in India Country Report)

Please indicate whether the yearly reports of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes are published and disseminated and follow up implemented to ensure non-discrimination.

With reference to information provided in paragraphs 84-86 of the report, concerning female infanticide, selective abortions of the female foetus, and the deprivation of basic health care and nutrition of girls and in light of articles 2(a), 6 and 24 of the Convention, please provided additonal information on the legal and other measures taken and/or envisaged to protect girls and guarantee their right to life, survival and development. (Please see Chapter IV, para 4.15 to 4.24 of page 23 in India Country Report)

Please outline the measures taken and or foreseen to sensitize public opinion, including in traditional communities, on the participatory rights of children and to further encourage children to exercise their right to freely express their views, in light of article 12 of the Convention.

Please outline the measures taken to improve birth registration and ensure that all children are registered at birth. (Please see Chapter V, para 5.9 and 5.10 of page 28 in India Country Report)

In light of article 17 of the Convention, please indicate whether steps have been taken to ensure that all children are allowed adequate access to information, particularly those in remote rural areas and poor urban centre/s. (Please see Chapter V, para 5.11 page 28 in India Country Report)

Please provide addtional information, including statistical data, on the situation of abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse in the family, and outline the programmes implemented and/or foreseen to prevent these practices and to rehabilitate children victims in this regard. (Pleas see Chapter IX, para 9.35 to 9.37 of page 77 in India Country Report)

Please provide additional information on the use of corporal punishment in families, schools, care institutions and juvenile correctional facilities and outline the measures taken and/or foreseen to prevent and eradicate this practice. (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.36 of page 76 in India Country Report)

Please provide additional information, including statistical data, on the situation of health and health services for children, particularly as regards malnutrition; breast-feeding practices; infant and child mortality; early childhood diseases; sanitation and access to safe drinking water. (Please see Chapter VII, para 7.2 to 7.20 of page 40 to 44 in India Country Report)

Further please outline the policies and programmes implemented and/or envisaged to increase the access of children with disabilities, including mental disabilities, to services in rural areas. (Please see Chapter VII, para 7.57 to 7.60 of page 54 in India Country Report)

Please provide additional information and statistical data, on adolescent health, including sexually transmitted diseases(STDs), HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies, teenage mothers, abortions, drugs and substance abus(including tobacco and alcohol), violence, suicide and other mental health concerns.

In light of information provided in paragraph 92 of the report, please provide additional information on the measures, including legal and awareness raising ones, taken and/or envisaged by the State party to prevent and eradicate the traditional practices of early and forced marrriages and ritualised prostitution (devadasi) and to counter the harmful effects of these practices on girls. Please indicate to what extent these measures have been effective. (Please see Chapter IV, para 4.25 of page 24 and Chapter IX, para 9.45 of page 79 in India Country Report)

In this connection, please also provide information on the specific measures envisaged to improve the quality of education provided under the Non-Formal Education (NFE) programme referred to in Chapter VIII, para 8.8 of page 58 in India Country Report.

Additionally, please indicate whether there is a concern with respect to violence in school.

Please provide an update on the State Party’s commitment to allocate 6% of GDP to education by the year 2000, referred to in Chapter VIII, para 8.20 of page 61 in India Country Report, and highlight the difficulties and constraints experienced in this regard.

Please indicate whether there is an intention to introduce human rights training for school managers, administrators and teachers on the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to incorporate human rights, including the rights of the child, into the school curricula.

Please provide additional information, including statistical data, on asylum-seeking, unaccompanied, refugee and stateless children and outline the measures undertaken, including those of a legal nature, to protect the rights of these children, particularly as regards education, health and social services. (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.2 to 9.4 of page 67 in India Country Report)

Please provide additional information and statistical data, on the status of children affected by armed conflict, including those below the age of 18 years enlisted in the armed forces. (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.5 of page 67 in India Country Report)

Please provide information, in light of articles 37, 40 and 39 of the Convention, in particular on:

(a) the use of arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child as a measure of last resort and for the shortest period of time; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.12 of page 69 and para 9.18 of page 70 in India Country Report)

(b) the possibility to have prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance(interpretation), as well as for challenging the legality of the deprivation of liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority, and of having a prompt decision thereon; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.16 and 9.17 of page 70 in India Country Report)

(c) deaths of children in custody.

Please provide further information on the situation of children in conflict with the law, in particular on the following:

(a) the measures taken to ensure contact between the child and his/her family; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.18 of page 70 in India Country Report)

(b) the conditions of children in detention, including the measures taken to ensure the periodic reveiw and monitoring of their placement;

(c) Whetehr there are external complaint procedures to deal with issues such as ill-treatment which are independent from the authorities of detention and correction institutions. How effective are these procedures ?

(d) educational, health and social services facilities;

(e) services for the recovery and rehabilitation of children alleged as, accused of or recognised as having infringed the penal law and their effectiveness; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.19 of page 71 in India Country Report)

(f) the measures taken to ensure the separation of children from adults; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.17 of page 70 in India Country Report)

(g) the measures taken to ensure that legal aid is provided;

(h) the measures taken and/or foreseen to ensure that juvenile judges are assigned in all regions of the State party; (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.16 of page 70 in India Country Report)

(i) the measures taken to prevent and prohibit abuse, ill-treatment and corporal punishment of children.

In light of information provided in Chapter IX, para 9.13 of page 69 in India Country Report, please indicate whether consideration has been given to a revision of the Juvenile Justice Act with a view to establishing separate procedures and legislative measures for dealing with delinquent and neglected juveniles.

Please also provide additional information on the sale, trafficking or abduction of children, particularly as regards child labour and outline the legal and other measures taken to address these concern.

Please provide additional information, including statistical data, on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children; child prostitution, especially ritualised prostitution (devadasis); child pornography; and sale and trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation. (Please see Chapter IX, para 9.38 of page 77 and para 9.45 of page 79 in India Country Report)

Additionally, please describe any other recent initiatives undertaken by the State party to address these concerns.

In light of article 30 of the Convention, please provide information on the situation of children belonging to minority and indigenous groups, including the Andaman Islanders, particularly their access to education, health and other social services.