india

Updated: Jul 27, 2019 02:05 IST

In an example of sheer carelessness, the state government literally ‘forgot’ to bring back 20 kids of government and private childcare institutions after completion of a one-year course in a Karnataka institute.

Twenty shelter home kids (14-18 years old), including 4 girls, were sent to the special shelter home cum institute set by Empowerment of Children and Human Rights Organisation (ECHO) in Karnataka’s Bengaluru in June last year. They were enrolled in a one-year hotel management course and internship, which got completed on June 30 this year.

But the state government made no efforts to bring them back. When the institute reminded the state, it sat up and ‘initiated necessary paperwork’. Meanwhile, after overstaying there for three weeks, the children, accompanied by the principal of the Bengaluru institute, were sent back on Thursday.

“I was keen to send them back in time so that they do not miss the joining or other important dates. Otherwise, they would have lost job avenues as some of them were awaiting placement in hotels in the state,” said Anita Almeida, principal of the institute.

“We shared some communication with the state for taking the children back but their ‘paperwork’ was taking much time,” she said adding, “Their course ended on June 30.”

The official concerned in the directorate of Women and Child Development department here could not be reached. However, another official of the department not related with development, said, “The process should have been initiated well before June 30. Had the institute not taken the initiative to send them back, the kids would have still been languishing there.”

This was the second batch sent to the institute for providing vocational training to the children of shelter homes to ensure better job avenues.

The state government spent money from UP Rani Laxmi Bai Mahila Evam Bal Samman Kosh to send these children to Karnataka.