Imphal Apr 18 UNA : The 23 children from Manipur who were recently rescued from a children home at Jaipur of Rajasthan and brought back to Imphal by the authority of the Manipur State for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) were Thursday handed over to district child welfare committees for onward handing over to their respective guardians.
\nThe 23 children between the age of eight and ten, from Manipur were among 51 children rescued by the Rajasthan state authority and NGOs including members of Tangkhul Shanao Long, Delhi (TSLD) from illegal confinement at two illegal child shelter homes in Jaipur on March 13 last.
\nThey were brought back to Imphal on March 30 last and have been lodging at Child Observation Centre at Imphal\u2019s Takyelpat, runs by social welfare department of Manipur government for medical treatment and counseling.
\nAuthority of the child observation centre handed over the children to the authority of district child welfare committees of Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong districts today in the presence of state social welfare minister AK Meerabai Devi.
\nOf the 23 rescued children, 19 were from Ukhrul, one from Chandel and three from Tamenglong district.
\nAfter handing over the children, minister AK Meerabai said that the children would be imparted education to government run residential schools in their respective districts which they would be kept at Adhimjati Shiksha Ashram at Imphal after they passed Class-X for higher study.
\nThe minister said that as a part of government initiative to check children from falling into the hands of the child traffickers, his department was getting ready for conducting awareness programme across the state, particularly in the remote hill areas.
\nShe cautioned parents and guardians from the people who pretended to be pasture and make false promises to send their wards to unregistered children homes outside the state, asserting that rescued of state children from unregistered children homes outside the state and from illegal confinement was not a new thing in the state.
\nMention may be made that the 23 children between the age of eight and ten, from Manipur were among 51 children rescued by the Rajasthan state authority and NGOs including members of Tangkhul Shanao Long, Delhi (TSLD) from illegal confinement at two illegal child shelter homes in Jaipur on March 13 last.
\nThe 23 children (14 girls and 9 boys) were rescued from Grace Home runs by one Jacob John, who claims to be a pastor. They were allegedly taken away through local persons who made false promises of imparting good education free of cost at the children homes.<\/p>\n\n