Use funds to save vulnerable children, Railway tells Station masters

Station masters may not have to bother about railway financial audit while spending for runaway children henceforth. Stepping up its efforts to lend a hand to trace and return runaway and trafficked children, the Indian Railway has asked its officials to utilise the funds available under imprest – the small amount that is available for immediate expenditure – to meet the expenses. 

In a circular sent to all station masters, the Railway Board (RB) has instructed them to use their station imprest effectively to support vulnerable children. In his August 23 dated circular – a copy of which is available with DT Next, Jeetendra Singh, executive director (transformation), Railway Board, has reiterated the provisions in the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP), which allowed station masters to utilise station imprest for “safeguarding vulnerable children coming in contact with railways”.

The board has also directed all Divisional Railway Managers to ensure that awareness was created among all officials concerned regarding the provision so that care and protection of vulnerable children does not suffer for want of knowledge. 

The clarification circular has been issued following concerns raised over utilisation of station imprest for meeting care and protection of vulnerable children at a State-level conference on safeguarding rights of vulnerable children coming in contact with railways by Uttar Pradesh Police a little over a week ago. 

The SOP permits a station master to use the station imprest for providing meals, photographing the child by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), meeting the medical expenses and producing the child to Child Welfare Committee by RPF through NGOs, besides sundry incidental expenses. The SOP insists that the runaway child should be photographed with the assistance of RPF. The photograph should then be placed in a register against his name for the parents to identify and locate their children without difficulty.