<p>Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered an inquiry into incidents of alleged sale of two children due to poverty in Rayagada and Bolangir districts, officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>One incident, reported from Rayagada district, involves a poor couple allegedly selling their nine-day-old daughter for Rs 20,000 to a couple from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.</p>.<p>Kumud Ganta (22) and her husband Rahul Dhanbeda (25) are residents of Nuapada Colony under Chandili police limits in Rayagada and have a three-year-old daughter and a newborn at the district headquarters hospital, an official said.</p>.<p>Rahul works as a truck helper with a monthly income of Rs 1,500. According to reports, the couple arranged for a mediator, who facilitated the transaction.</p>.<p>The baby was allegedly sold to the couple from Pedapenki village in Andhra Pradesh's Parvatipuram Manyam district on November 11, sources said.</p>.<p>The incident came to light when local Anganwadi and ASHA workers could not find the infant at Kumud's home and reported the matter to Child Line authorities, the official said.</p>.16 children fall sick after eating food at Anganwadi in Madhya Pradesh.<p>Nirakar Padhi, a member of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), said that the initial probe revealed that the child was given to the Andhra couple through a stamped paper agreement.</p>.<p>"Though the original parents denied receiving any money, our inquiry revealed a transaction of Rs 20,000," she said.</p>.<p>"It is against the law to transfer custody of a child through a stamped paper agreement. Appropriate legal action will be taken," District Child Protection Officer Bichitra Sethi said.</p>.<p>A similar case was reported from Khaprakhol block in Bolangir district, where a couple allegedly "gifted their newborn daughter to unidentified persons" because they were unable to afford to raise her due to severe poverty.</p>.<p>Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo, who is from Bolangir, ordered a probe into the alleged sale of the newborn in Sangurjibhata village.</p>.<p>Singh Deo met the child's mother Arunabati Nag on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Arunabati claimed that she had "gifted" her newborn to unknown people because she could not care for six children.</p>.<p>"During our interaction, the mother said that she was unable to raise six children. Thus, the family decided to gift the youngest one," Singh Deo said.</p>.<p>The deputy chief minister added, "While a child can be given for adoption, there is a formal procedure that was not followed in this case. Legal action will be taken against those responsible." </p><p>When contacted, a senior official at the Women and Child Development Department here told <em>PTI</em>, "We have asked the district authorities to inquire into the matter and take immediate measures to bring back the children given to other couples."</p>
<p>Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered an inquiry into incidents of alleged sale of two children due to poverty in Rayagada and Bolangir districts, officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>One incident, reported from Rayagada district, involves a poor couple allegedly selling their nine-day-old daughter for Rs 20,000 to a couple from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.</p>.<p>Kumud Ganta (22) and her husband Rahul Dhanbeda (25) are residents of Nuapada Colony under Chandili police limits in Rayagada and have a three-year-old daughter and a newborn at the district headquarters hospital, an official said.</p>.<p>Rahul works as a truck helper with a monthly income of Rs 1,500. According to reports, the couple arranged for a mediator, who facilitated the transaction.</p>.<p>The baby was allegedly sold to the couple from Pedapenki village in Andhra Pradesh's Parvatipuram Manyam district on November 11, sources said.</p>.<p>The incident came to light when local Anganwadi and ASHA workers could not find the infant at Kumud's home and reported the matter to Child Line authorities, the official said.</p>.16 children fall sick after eating food at Anganwadi in Madhya Pradesh.<p>Nirakar Padhi, a member of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), said that the initial probe revealed that the child was given to the Andhra couple through a stamped paper agreement.</p>.<p>"Though the original parents denied receiving any money, our inquiry revealed a transaction of Rs 20,000," she said.</p>.<p>"It is against the law to transfer custody of a child through a stamped paper agreement. Appropriate legal action will be taken," District Child Protection Officer Bichitra Sethi said.</p>.<p>A similar case was reported from Khaprakhol block in Bolangir district, where a couple allegedly "gifted their newborn daughter to unidentified persons" because they were unable to afford to raise her due to severe poverty.</p>.<p>Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo, who is from Bolangir, ordered a probe into the alleged sale of the newborn in Sangurjibhata village.</p>.<p>Singh Deo met the child's mother Arunabati Nag on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Arunabati claimed that she had "gifted" her newborn to unknown people because she could not care for six children.</p>.<p>"During our interaction, the mother said that she was unable to raise six children. Thus, the family decided to gift the youngest one," Singh Deo said.</p>.<p>The deputy chief minister added, "While a child can be given for adoption, there is a formal procedure that was not followed in this case. Legal action will be taken against those responsible." </p><p>When contacted, a senior official at the Women and Child Development Department here told <em>PTI</em>, "We have asked the district authorities to inquire into the matter and take immediate measures to bring back the children given to other couples."</p>