Trending Now
- “If Edappadi Palaniswami permits, a thousand young members from the Virudhunagar district AIADMK are prepared to take up arms and engage in battle under my command.” – Former AIADMK Minister Rajendra Balaji
- “India is ready to deal with any counter-attack by Pakistan” – Wing Commander Vyomika Singh
- Central govt orders extension of CBI Director Praveen Sood’s tenure for another year
Coimbatore
Differing views on Cradle Baby Scheme
January 19, 2017
Surprising though it sounds, the Cradle Baby Scheme, has received no new born baby in the past two years, even though the “heartless act “of abandoning them continues. As many 10 abandoned newborn babies have been rescued by the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) authorities and treated, before they were sent to child care homes, through the Social Welfare Department.
“Though 7 to 10 children were surrendered under the Cradle Baby Scheme in the last decade, the practice has declined in this decade, and the scheme drew a blank in the past two years, but the practice of abandoning of newborn babies continues unabated,” said Dr Edwin Joe, Dean, CMCH, speaking to Covai Post.
Activists, however, allege that the cradle has been removed and the practice of receiving babies under the scheme stopped in many hospitals in the district, including at CMCH, Mettupalayam Government Hospital and Somanur Government Hospital.
“In spite of being on the lookout for the cradle, which is normally kept in the maternity ward of government hospitals, I could not spot one,” said social activist A Manoj. “How can hospital authorities claim that there are no babies surrendered under the scheme, when the cradle is not even there?”
Saying that the cradle has been misused by visitors and in-patients, the hospital authorities have removed it permanently, he suggested.
The Cradle Baby Scheme came into the spotlight after the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, raised questions on how long the scheme would continue. It demanded to know whether any programme has been devised to end the “heartless act” of abandoning newborn babies.
Launched in 1992, by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa primarily to end female infanticide, the scheme helped save many lives. Dharmapuri district, which accounted for the most babies received through the scheme, has registered 1,044 surrendered infants, of which only 34 are male babies, between 2002-2008. The bulk of female babies surrendered under the scheme were born out of illegal relationships or to HIV- positive mothers, while male babies had some disability.
