In a unique initiative, the Department of Women and Child Welfare and the Railways have put up ‘Mother’s Lap’, a cradle for abandoned babies, at Belagavi railway station.
Babies left in the cradle will be cared for at a home for the destitute. Then they will be listed for adoption. The cradle and the subsequent processes will be managed by the city-based NGO Swami Vivekananda Seva Pratishtan.
This is to reduce the practice of abandoning babies in public places. The babies left in this cradle will be taken care of, said Suresh Angadi, Minister of State for Railways, after the cradle’s inauguration on Wednesday. He thanked the NGO for being willing to manage the cradle.
Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore, trust president Manisha Bandankar, secretary Girish Inamdar, member Vijay Kuchnure, and railway officers were present.
“The trust is a special adoptive agency recognised by the Union government. It runs a home for the destitute in the city. It will care for the babies till they are adopted. The trust is a charitable institution and all services are free,” Mr. Inamdar told The Hindu.
He said the cradle has a heater to keep the babies warm. It is kept at a higher place, in the women’s waiting room, to ensure the safety of the babies. “Once a baby is left in the cradle, it will be brought to the notice of the railway police and the station master. A bell is placed near the cradle to ensure that the babies are attended to immediately. Once a baby is found, the police will register a first information report. He or she will then be taken to a hospital for a complete check-up, and then placed at the destitute home till the adoption formalities are cleared,” he said.
