Six-day old baby found at cradle point
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 10 2023: A six-month old baby boy was found 'surrendered' at the Cradle Point installed at the gate of Children's Home for Boys operated by Mahila Kalyan Samiti at Dewlahland on Monday.

According to a statement released by Social Welfare Department, the baby was discovered by a counsellor of the Children's Home around 12.02 pm Monday.

On receiving news of the incident, a team of District Child Protection Unit, Imphal East arrived at the Home and provided care and protection to the baby boy, in addition to taking up steps for rehabilitation, as per the scheme guidelines.

The team took the baby to JNIMS Hospital for medical check-up, wherein he was given the all-clear and found weighing 3kg.The baby boy will be kept under observation of the doctors and nurses at the Specialised Adoption Agency in Ningthem Pukhri Mapal, Imphal East for some time.

After the end of the observation period, the adoption process will be initiated, provided the baby is not claimed by the biological parents or legal guardians.

The statement continued that the cradle point was installed as part of the erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme (now Mission Vatsalya scheme) under Ministry of Women and Child Development, to save newborns from being abandoned by parents/guardians.

At present, cradle points have been installed at many children's homes across the state.

In 2022, the Department opened a model cradle point at Children's Home for Boys, Charangpat in Thoubal district.

Soon after, a newborn baby girl was found 'surrendered' at the cradle point.

The baby Was then provided with medical treatment and is now placed at Specialised Adoption Agency, Thoubal.

As the baby girl was not claimed either by her parents or any legal guardian even after the end of the specified two-month period, her adoption process is now underway.

Urging the Department to spread awareness among the people to 'surrender' new borns at the cradle points instead of abandoning them carelessly , the director further appealed to parents and guardians to provide the new-borns a chance to live, instead of abandoning them at dangerous places.

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