Ranchi: Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and Ranchi Sadar Hospital will soon place special cribs where biological parents can anonymously leave their newborn children if they are not ready to take responsibility.

The objective, say social welfare officials who issued the advisory last week, is to ensure that unwanted babies don't end up being sold for hard cash or land in dustbins or bushes, where they either fall prey to stray dogs or are fatally exposed to the elements.

Insiders in the department conceded that the measure followed the unearthing of an alleged baby sale racket at Nirmal Hriday, the Missionaries of Charity-run shelter on Jail Road, last month.

Ranchi district social welfare officer Kanchan Singh said two cribs had already been procured for state-run RIMS in Bariatu and sadar hospital, which is off Mahatma Gandhi Road.

"We are currently scouting for convenient locations on the hospital premises to place the cradles. We want to ensure that the babies don't remain unattended for long. Confidentiality of parents will be maintained," she said.

The plan, Singh stressed, was to place cribs outside all government-run health centres across 18 blocks of the district. Each will be covered by an aluminium shed with a message.

"The message from the deputy commissioner will read, 'Children are priceless gifts of God. Give them to us'. The shed will also bear helpline numbers like 100 for police and 1098 for NGO Childline, besides official numbers of social welfare officials. One can make a call to check if the baby has been rescued and sent to a child care institution," she said.

Singh said the district child welfare committee was the legal custodian of any infant that has been abandoned and shouldered the responsibility of sending the infant to a foster home only under guidelines of the Central Adoption Resource Authority.

"Placing cribs at the two hospitals is a baby step towards saving abandoned newborns from torment and death. We plan to rope in NGOs to make the project sustainable," Singh added.

Ranchi civil surgeon Vijay Bihari Prasad said the district social welfare officer had discussed the proposal with him. "We are looking for convenient spots to keep the cribs. The identity of parents should not get exposed and the baby must remain safe till we get information. It will be responsibility of the hospital, social welfare department and allied agencies to ensure the baby is safe," he added.

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