'Operation Muskaan' was not only aimed at rescuing the lost and wayward children but also to check if they had contracted Coronavirus.
‘In Andhra, 631 rescued children were tested positive for coronavirus. ’
In less than a week's time, the Andhra police saved 16,457 children in coordination with Child-Line and Child Welfare Committee (CWC), along with district police departments at all transit points such as railway stations, bus stations, parks, hotels and others.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang supervised the rescue operation, deploying 794 police teams.
The rescued children included child labourers, children living on the streets, orphans and also those who ran away from home.
Of the 16,457 children, 13,588 were boys and the remaining 2,869 were girls.
Some children were reunited with their families while others were sent to child care centres.
The state police started 'Operation Muskaan' in January, completing three iterations already and saving a total of 25,298 children across the southern state.
Source: IANS