KOZHIKODE: The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare’s flagship “Ammathottil” (electronic cradle) scheme has received its 1,001st child. The infant girl, who has been named “Sahasrika,” was placed in the modernised Ammathottil cradle located near the Government General Hospital (Beach Hospital) in Kozhikode around 1.30 pm on Saturday.
Weighing 4.2kg, the two-month-old baby girl underwent an immediate medical examination by doctors, who confirmed that she is in good health. Sahasrika is the 11th child received at the Kozhikode Beach Hospital facility since it was renovated with modern, automated amenities and reopened to the public last August. Her arrival marks the 13th child-and the sixth girl-to be taken into care by the state’s Ammathottil network this year, following the arrival of a baby boy named “Harithansh” at the same center on June 4.
This milestone comes just days after the 1,000th child, named “Sahasra,” arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram Ammathottil facility early Tuesday morning. The specialized electronic cradle project originally launched in Thiruvananthapuram in 2002 to provide a safe, anonymous refuge for abandoned newborns and infants, offering them immediate medical care and a pathway toward legal adoption.
With Sahasrika now under the safe custody and care of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, officials have formally initiated the preliminary procedures required for her legal adoption. Child welfare authorities have issued a public request advising any legal guardians, family members, or rightful claimants to contact the council authorities immediately before the adoption process progresses further.
Recently, a mother had come forward to receive an abandoned child back, and the baby was handed over to the mother after a DNA test confirmation in Kozhikode.