MCPCR submits draft action plan to protect 25,000 displaced children in Manipur
Imphal: The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) has submitted a draft State Action Plan for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) children to the state government on Friday.
According to the MCPCR, around 25,000 children have been displaced due to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, which began on May 3, 2023.
The draft State Action Plan was submitted during a one-day multi-stakeholder convergence meeting-cum-declaration of the State Action Plan for IDP children, held under the theme “Protection Mechanism and Transitional Support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Children” at the conference hall of the Mini Secretariat Complex, Bishnupur, on Friday.
The meeting was jointly organised by the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR), New Life Foundation (NLF), Manipur, and the District Administration, Bishnupur.
The meeting, chaired by MCPCR Chairperson Keisham Pradipkumar, was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur, Toijam Opendro; Superintendent of Police, Bishnupur, Th. Shangkar Deba; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. L. Raichandra; Block Development Officers; district-level officers; and representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) and child-focused NGOs (CNPOs).
During the meeting, the MCPCR Chairperson submitted the draft State Action Plan for the Protection of IDP Children to the District Administration, Bishnupur, through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Toijam Opendro.
The Chairperson stated that suggestions and opinions were welcome.
The main focus of the meeting was the deliberation on achievement reports submitted by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and other stakeholders, observations from civil society organisations, presentation of the State Action Plan for the Protection of IDP Children, commitment from the Deputy Commissioner, Bishnupur, and observations and recommendations from the MCPCR.
While presenting the achievement reports, district-level officers highlighted the initiatives and efforts undertaken by the District Administration for the protection and welfare of IDP children through various line departments.
These included child welfare programmes under different schemes of the District Social Welfare Office, education assistance by the Zonal Education Office (ZEO), sanitation support by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), medical and healthcare services from the Chief Medical Officer, and safety and security measures provided by the district police.