Andhra Pradesh: Operation Muskaan Covid-19 Phase 7 drive

As many as 4,257 street children, including child labourers, runaway kids and children who lost their parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic, were rescued across the state on the first day of the four-day ‘Operation Muskaan’ Covid-19 Phase 7 drive, said the Director General of Police (DGP) D Gautam Sawang.

In a statement, Gautam Sawang said the campaign, a first-of-its-kind in the country, was initiated by the State police during the first wave of coronavirus and expressed happiness over rescuing more than 4,000 children on the first day of the phase-7 drive.

Based on the instructions from Sawang, as many as 800 teams, which were formed in all the 13 districts in coordination with line departments such as Child-Line, Child Welfare Committee (CWC), revenue, and District Child Protection departments, carried out the operation at all railway stations, bus stations, parks, hotels, flyovers, brick kilns and other places, and rescued orphans and children who fled their homes. Of the 4,257 rescued children, 3,622 are boys and 635 girls.

While a few children were reunited with their families, others were sent to child care centres. The DGP also inquired about the facilities being provided at child care centres and instructed the concerned officials to take care of the children.

The Director General of Police appreciated the efforts of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and other line departments who played a crucial role in identifying the abandoned children across the State and reuniting many of them with their family members.

Police conducted Covid tests on the rescued children. “So far, 12 kids tested positive for COVID-19 and they were sent to various Covid care centres. The results of others are awaited and the kids were given COVID kits, which contain sanitizers, face masks and hand gloves,” Sawang said. During the drive, police also found two children, who lost their parents to COVID-19. “We will ensure that the kids, who lost both their parents, get `10 lakh fixed deposit as announced by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy,” he added.