Vijayawada: 125 children sent to rescue homes in 'Operation Muskaan Covid-19'

Vijayawada: As part of 'Operation Muskaan Covid-19' taken up by the state police department on Tuesday, the Krishna district police identified 125 street children and child labour who are working in workplaces, hotels and shops under the limits of five Police sub divisions.

State DGP D Gautam Sawang has instructed the police department to conduct Operation Muskan Covid-19 aimed at identifying the street children, orphans, child labour and destitutes and send them to the rescue homes, hostels and to their parents. The police are conducting Covid-19 tests this year to the rescued children and provide medical treatment if the children were infected with Coronavirus. The Operation Muskan will continue till July 20.

The district police in coordination with Woman and child welfare department, labour department, medical and health department, Juvenile Justice Board, education department etc began the search operation since early morning on Tuesday and identified 125 children below 14 years and shifted them to the rehabilitation centres. In Machilipatnam, the children were shifted to Suvarna Kalyana mandapam where the Krishna district superintendent of police M Ravindranath Babu, Bandar DSP Mahaboob Basha, Trainee DSP Sravani, Machilipatnam Tahsildar Sunil Babu and circle inspectors, Sub-inspectors participated and others attended.

The SP handed over the Corona safety kits to the children. The kits contain masks, Sanitizers, C vitamin tablets, biscuit packets.

Speaking on the occasion, the SP said Covid-19 tests will be conducted to all children rescued by the police during the Operation Muskan Covid-19 held from July 14 to 20.

He said if the children are tested positive they will be sent to the isolation wards and will be given medical treatment. He said the main objective of operation Muskan is to eradicate street children and help them to restart the new life at the hostels, rehabilitation centres, or with their parents. He warned criminal cases would be booked against the owners of the shops for appointing child labour.

Tahsildar Sunil Babu said the Operation Muskan will be helpful to check the spread of Coronavirus and praised the police for taking up the programme. Of the total 125 children identified on the first day, 101 are boys and the remaining 24 are girls. Several hundred police under the sub-divisions of Bandar, Gudivada, Nuzvid, Nandigama and Avanigadda participated in the Operation Muskan Covid-19.