IMPHAL, Nov 24 - Ten children, including nine girls from Imphal East district and one boy from Thoubal district, arrived here following repatriation from Calicut, Kerala, on Monday, official sources said. The children were escorted by eight officials belonging to the Special Juvenile Police Unit, Kozhikode, District Child Protection Unit, Kozhikode, and two other volunteers.
The nine girls were inmates of a girls� home and the boy was staying in a Calicut orphanage. They have been repatriated to Manipur following an order from the Child Welfare Committee, Kozhikode.
On reaching here, the children and their escorts were taken to the IIIT, Mantripukhri, for COVID-19 tests. Later, the children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee, Imphal East, and the Child Welfare Committee, Thoubal.
After receiving the children from the custody of the officials from Kerala, the particulars of the children were cross-checked and verified. They were handed over to their respective parents after all the due formalities by the Director of Social Welfare Department, Ngangom Uttam Singh and other officials.
The authorities concerned have urged the public not to send children to other States with any individual or organisation promising to provide free education and shelter. If any individual or organisation approaches a family or guardian offering free education or shelter, the matter should be reported to the Child Welfare Committee, District Child Protection Unit or Child Line-1098 for guidance and verification. A child�s own family is the best and safest place for overall development and growth of the child, the appeal added.
Meanwhile, Manipur Social Welfare Minister Henry Okram has applauded the Director of Social Welfare and other officials of the department concerned for their efforts in bringing back the children to the State safely and handing them over to their parents. He also thanked the Kerala Government for their support in repatriating the children.
COVID-19 deaths: Two more persons have died of COVID-19 in Manipur. The virus toll in the State has now reached 240.
Meanwhile, with 290 new cases, the COVID-19 tally in Manipur reached 23,940 on Tuesday, official sources said. The new cases from the general population have been reported from 13 districts of the State.
