National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) – Cuttack organize Special Aadhaar Enrolment Camp for Children of Cuttack Urban Settlements of Brajabiharipur, Balmiki Nagar and Baba Tilkanagar
27 Feb 2026
Cuttack, Odisha | February 26, 2026 — In an important initiative to advance child rights and social inclusion, the Centre for Child Rights (CCR) of National Law University Odisha (NLUO) and the University’s flagship community outreach initiative – Project KUTUMB, jointly organised a Special Aadhaar Enrolment Camp on 25th February 2026 at Balmiki Nagar Community Centre, CDA – 13 for over 50 children from Balmiki Nagar, Brajabiharipur, and Baba Tilkanagar urban settlements of Ward No. 3, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC).
The flag off of the Special Aadhar Camp was done in the presence of the Commissioner, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), Ms. Kirandeep Kaur Sahota, NLUO Vice Chancellor Professor Ved Kumari, Chief Minister’s Chair Professor cum Director, Centre for Child Rights – NLUO, Prof Biraj Swain, Additional District Education Officer, Cuttack, Smt. Abhijita Bhaskar, Social Worker – District Child Protection Unit, Cuttack, Shri Congress Rout, and Corporator of Ward No. 3 – CMC, Shri Pradeep Rout. The initiative was led by Dr Swagatika Samal from CCR – NLUO and Dr Akshay Verma, Coordinator – Project KUTUMB and supported by Mr Durbadala Mantry, Mr M Vijay Bhaskar, Dr Pradipta Kumar Sarangi, Mr Ankit Kumar Keshri and Mr Amulya Kumar Swain of CCR-NLUO. The Camp is running over 25th and 26th February 2026.
The Camp is part of NLUO’s commitment to creating Child-Friendly Communities per NITI Ayog mandate and the Sustainable Development Goals mandate, and it marks a milestone in Project KUTUMB’s mission to ensure social inclusion of the vulnerable children.
Project Kutumb, launched in August 2022, is NLUO’s flagship outreach programme, implemented with the shared leadership of the CCR. It seeks to transform the urban settlements – Brajabiharipur (Upara Sahi and Tala Sahi), Baba Tilkanagar, and Balmiki Nagar into aspirational communities with active citizenship and responsive state mechanisms. The project takes a rights-based and community-driven approach by empowering families, children, and local institutions to take an active role in child welfare and protection. Through a combination of awareness-building, capacity enhancement, needs assessment, and vulnerability mapping, Project KUTUMB, aims to establish sustainable, locally lead child protection systems with long-term impact.
Founded in 2015, the Centre for Child Rights (CCR) is the oldest research, teaching and advocacy center at NLUO. It is also the second oldest CCR in any NLU in India and the only Chair Professorship on Child Rights in India (Law or non-Law Universities included), thanks to the efforts of the Vice Chancellor Prof Ved Kumari. The CCR is committed to advancing child rights through teaching, legal research, policy advocacy, training and community engagement. As one of the key actors of Project KUTUMB, CCR has conducted extensive vulnerability mapping and needs assessments in the adopted settlements to ensure that interventions are data-driven and need-sensitive, keep the best interests of the children front and centre. This is per the NITI Ayog mandated indicators.
Smt. Abhijita Bhaskar, Additional District Education Officer, Cuttack, while addressing the gathering, stressed that Aadhaar enrolment strengthens service delivery and that’s why one should be very careful about the kind of information – specifically a functional mobile number- providing during Aadhar enrolment process.
Addressing the audience on the genesis and vision of Project KUTUMB, Prof. Ved Kumari, Vice Chancellor of NLUO and Patron-in-Chief of CCR-NLUO, who conceptualized Project KUTUMB, noted that legal identity is a gateway to dignity, citizenship, and equal opportunity for children. Substantive progress in child protection is possible only when there is consistent collaboration between community and the state instruments and children have a voice and agency in shaping their own and their community’s futures. She further added that “NLUO is not just an institution to churn out legal professionals, NLUO is also committed to the agenda of justice and enabling the under-privileged children and communities in the neighbourhood for better lives and life-chances, which is a core ambition of Project KUTUMB and NLUO. Children need to be encouraged, and it would make me very happy to see some of you enroll in the NLUO one day.”
The Keynote Address was delivered by Ms. Kirandeep Kaur Sahota, Commissioner, Cuttack Municipal Corporation, who formally flagged off the Special Aadhaar Camp by enrolling two children from the communities. She emphasised that inclusive urban governance requires proactive outreach to vulnerable populations and lauded NLUO’s sustained commitment to community engagement.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Swagatika Samal: swagatika@nluo.ac.in Mob: 9439872656
Mr. Dubadala Mantry: d.mantry@nluo.ac.in Mob: 9692004909
Centre for Child Rights (CCR) and Project KUTUMB
National Law University Odisha (NLUO)
