Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) A special envoy of the Indian government Monday met the Norwegian foreign minister in Oslo and urged him to speed up the return of the children who were taken away from their NRI parents on grounds of alleged negligence.

Madhusudhan Ganapathi, secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry, urged Jonas Gahr Store to find an amicable solution to enable an early return of the children to India.

The discussions were positive, said official sources.

One-year-old Aishwarya and three-year-old Abhigyan were taken away by child welfare officials in Norway in May last year and placed in foster care.

Last week, Norway had applied for extending residence permits of the two Indian children under foster care, prompting India to launch a renewed diplomatic offensive to expedite a solution to the issue which had sparked much outrage in India.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has made it clear that India would make “all out” efforts to ensure the early return of children to India. “We will make all out efforts to achieve the goal of getting back the children to India where they belong,” Krishna said last week.

“It is government of India’s firm commitment that the children must be given the opportunity to come to India,” Krishna said.

Abhigyan and Aishwarya, children of Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya, an NRI couple living in Stavanger, Norway, were taken under protective care by Barnevarne (Norwegian Child Welfare Services) in May last year on grounds that they were not looked after properly by their parents.

An agreement was struck nearly a month ago between India and Norway under which the parents named Anurup’s brother Arunabhash Bhattacharya as the primary caretaker of the two children. Arunabhash is currently in Norway.