Most of these inmates are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat.
Orphanages in Kerala are now scouting for inmates from north and north-eastern states to keep the very institutions ticking.
On Saturday, 450 children from Bihar and Jharkhand were brought to Palakkad from where they will be taken to Mukkom Muslim Orphanage in Kozhikode. The children are between six and 15 years age groups.
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Kerala has around 1800 orphanages, recognised by the State Orphanage Control Board. Many of these institutions, especially in north Kerala, have several north Indian children as inmates. It has been noted that there is a sharp drop in the number of orphans and poor children from Kerala joining such institutions.
According to sources, agents find ‘eligible’ children in north Indian villages and at the start of an academic year bring them in batches to Kerala. Agents then take children to orphanages looking for inmates.
Most of these inmates are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, and they usually get education at nearby schools or those run by orphanage trusts. Children from outside the state are in demand because shrinking number of local students may lead to closure of such schools.
The Board does not give any grant for students from outside the state, however, several of these schools and orphanages get significant funding from NGOs, public and foreign philanthropists.
Board chairman P C Ibrahim Master said, “Nobody has asked Kerala institutions to serve the orphans from other states. If they do not get enough numbers from Kerala, the institutions can shut down.” He said some orphanages are running educational institutions. “More students mean lucrative opportunity for the managements to appoint teachers.’’
Mukkom Muslim Orphanage managing committee member Moosa Master said his institution has been housing non-Kerala orphans for four year due to want of local children. “We bring them with legal consent of their parents,’’ he said.