Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), Agatha Sangma, today met Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh to discuss key child-centric issues, including the creation of green recreational spaces and the need for a standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure the safety of children being sent outside the state.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sangma said, “This meeting was essentially to submit a few memorandums to the Social Welfare Minister. One of them was about creating more green spaces and recreational areas for children in our towns and cities. This was an initiative taken up by the previous Chairperson and I have decided to take it forward.”
Sangma stressed the importance of providing children with safe and healthy environments to play and grow, especially in urban areas that are rapidly losing open spaces. “Children need places where they can play, interact, and develop holistically. These green zones are essential not just for recreation but also for their mental well-being,” she added.
Another critical issue raised during the meeting was the lack of proper monitoring mechanisms for children being taken to other states – often by individuals or organisations – for education, care, or training purposes.
“Recently, we held a meeting with various departments like Education, Police, Law, and Health to discuss the need for an SOP. Often, children are taken out of the state without any formal intimation to the government. It’s only when something unfortunate happens that authorities are alerted,” Sangma noted.
She emphasised the urgent need for a system to track the movement and welfare of these children. “We must know where these children are, the kind of institutions or hostels they are being sent to, and whether these are legally established or not. The SOPs will ensure that such transfers are transparent, monitored, and safe.”
Sangma said she briefed Lyngdoh on the outcomes of the inter-departmental meeting held about a month ago, where it was unanimously decided that clear SOPs should be put in place to prevent such lapses in future.
Two children from Meghalaya died in the food poisoning incident in March when the students were fed leftover food from Holi. The school they were attending, in Karnataka’s Mandya district, has been shut down and police made several arrests. The incident led to calls for stricter monitoring of minor children sent outside the state for education or other reasons.
