Jammu: Taking strong note about the reports of the alleged illegal adoption and sale of Covid orphans in south Kashmir’s Pampore town, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday directed the home department to increase surveillance and inspect the orphanages, non-governmental organizations and hospitals.
These directions were passed by the Chief Secretary, Dr.Arun Kumar Mehta on Thursday while chairing a high level meeting to review the progress made in nabbing the culprits involved in the case involving alleged adoption and sale of Covid orphans in Pampore recently, an official spokesperson said.
Mehta, he said, also considered the administrative measures being taken by the Social Welfare Department and the law enforcement agencies to prevent occurrence of such incidents in future.
Administrative Secretary, Home, Special Director General, CID, Administrative Secretaries of Social Welfare and Law Departments, two Divisional commissioners and DIG, Central Kashmir Range and other senior officers attended the meeting.
According to the official spokesperson, DIG central Kashmir informed the meeting that the investigation under a DSP ranked officer is going on and it is expected that in about week’s time, the department will be able to get to the bottom of the case.
“He further informed that the case is under review and given the gravity of the case, more stringent sections of the law will be imposed on the accused going forward before the case reaches the trial stage,” he said.
The Chief Secretary, as per the official spokesperson stated that the trafficking of children and women is an inhuman practice and is absolutely unacceptable. There should be zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and forced labour and added that the government will pull out all stops in ridding the UT of this menace.
Mehta, he said, also stated that human trafficking almost always has a narco/drug dimension, which has been seen to have linkages with terrorism in the UT.
Expressing his concern at the incident, Dr Mehta, as per the official spokesperson directed that joint teams of social welfare education department, Magistrates from DC office and police be set up to verify the records of nari ashrams, bal ashrams, concerned NGOs and trust and orphanages and asked the social welfare department to coordinate the synergised departmental response in the matter.
He said that the Secretary, social welfare department informed that the matter has been taken up with IGP, Kashmir to ensure immediate legal action under the relvant laws.
“It was further informed that child welfare committees have been asked to meet Covid orphans identified by the department and submit a report to the department,” the official spokesperson said.
Mehta, he said, directed social welfare department to conduct audit of the human resource and the accounts of these centres for the last 5 years.
“He asked the social welfare department to obtain the report regarding the welfare of covid orphans from the field and share it with his office by Thursday evening,” he said.
“The Chief Secretary asked the Home department to ensure that every such centre was inspected by the nearest police station in the UT and a report shared by them with the Home department by evening,” he added.
According to the official spokesperson, Director I&C, Jammu informed the meeting that there are around 6000 such NGOs registered in J&K that deal with child and women welfare in the UT,
He said it was further informed that post reorganisation of the J&K State into UTs of J&K and Ladakh, the department has begun the process of re-registering these societies under the central act.
“So far less than 1000 societies have been re-registered and their details are also available on the Darpan portal,” the official spokesperson said, adding “Dr Mehta also advised the I&C department to share the list of all NGOs operating in the space with the SWD and police department.
The Chief Secretary, as per the official spokesperson also directed that the SWD should get the verification of 6000 NGOs done in concert with district administration and PRIs within a month and shared the findings with the government.
“The Chief Secretary asked the I&C department to put all those NGOs, which have not re-registered, on notice stating that if they do not re-register within 15 days, they will no longer be allowed to operate,” he said.
“He also directed I&C department to share the details of those NGOs, which don’t re-register, with the district and divisional administration so that appropriate law enforcement action is initiated against them,” he added.
According to the official spokesperson, the Chief Secretary asked the SWD to take steps in consultation with the health department to verify all the children’s hospitals/gynecological sections/ neonatal sections of the hospitals in the UT within the next fifteen days.
Mehta, he said, also directed the Law Department to seek details of the trusts operating in the space for the last 10 years from the judiciary for the purpose of their verification.
“The Chief Secretary laid emphasis on tracking cases of child/women trafficking in the cyber domain and asked the Home department to ensure proper cyber surveillance though anti trafficking units of the police department in both the divisions,” he said
“Stating that begging and trafficking syndicates can’t be allowed to have a free run in J&K, he directed to maintain special watch on placement agencies, organisations scouting young girls and boys for talent hunt programmes, beauty pageants, escort services etc. so that incidents of child and women trafficking do not happen in future,” he added.
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