Nabarangpur, Dec, 05: Under the directives of the State Government’s Department of Women and Child Development, the Nabarangpur District Administration and the District Child Protection Unit organized a district-level program on the occasion of National Child Adoption Awareness Month at the Ashok Mehta Auditorium, District Collectorate.
The meeting was chaired by District Collector Dr. Maheshwar Sain, who emphasized that all departments of the administration are working to ensure the safety of every child in the district. He stressed that every child needs a family in society, and if a child is legally adopted, they can remain safe. The meeting also focused on preventing illegal adoptions in the district. Instructions were given to the District Child Protection Unit, Child Welfare Committee, District Health Department, BDO, CDPOs, Anganwadi workers, and ASHA workers to monitor and ensure legal adoption procedures are followed.
Children staying with anyone other than their biological parents must be immediately presented before the Child Welfare Committee. Otherwise, such placements would be declared illegal, and the child would be brought under government protection. All field staff were instructed to conduct surveys and submit a list to the District Collector at the earliest.
Other dignitaries present at the program included DSP Saroj Punnam Kispata, District Social Welfare Officer Draupadi Kahar, Additional District Medical Officer Dr. Malay Kumar Tripathi, District Welfare Officer Ravindra Palka, District Planning Officer Anand Palei, Group Development Officer Nandahandi Kshirrod Chandra Sahu, and District Child Protection Officer Suresh Kumar Pattnayak.
Also present were staff from the District Child Protection Unit, managers of Child Adoption Centers, One-Stop Center personnel, Child Protection Assistance Centers, Anganwadi workers, supervisors, and Gender Code Network representatives. Their participation helped make the program successful.
At 10:00 AM, the District Collector Dr. Maheshwar Sain flagged off the Child Adoption Awareness Rath (mobile awareness vehicle), which will travel across all 10 blocks of Nabarangpur district, spreading messages about child adoption.
The awareness campaign aims to educate people about:
- Ensuring child safety
- Legal adoption procedures
- Not abandoning children
- Prohibition of child marriage
- Prevention of juvenile crimes
The District Collector highlighted that lack of awareness has allowed harmful practices like child marriage to continue in society. Such practices deprive children of their fundamental rights, as minors are forced into marriage at a young age, losing the opportunity for proper education and even early motherhood, which violates legal norms.