KOLLAM: Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchurani said that children’s talents like drawing, versification, and elocution should be promoted from an early age.

The minister was inaugurating the valedictory ceremony of the district-level Clint Memorial Children’s drawing competition at the Sree Narayana Cultural Complex at Aasramam in Kollam.

The minister also appreciated the efforts of the State Child Welfare Committee in making the district an art-friendly space.

“The groups initiated by the Child Welfare Council have been supporting children to identify their talents and bring them to the mainstream. They will also help children reduce their social media addiction, even solve drug-related issues and contribute to the making of a child-friendly district,” she said.

District Collector N Devidas inaugurated the competitions. A motivation class was also held for the parents of the participants, parallel to the competitions.

Adwaith Vinod emerged as the winner of the competition in the LP Section, while Ishaan Mujeeb and Nivedya R Nidheesh came second and third, respectively.

In the UP category, E Athidhi Devi emerged as the first prize winner, Saavan Sugunan second, and Arnav T Vinod third.

S Aryan won the first place in the HS category, followed by S Sreya Duth and S Sreetha Duth. In the higher secondary category, S Sidharth won the first prize, N Afiya won second, and Ananya Subhash third.

In the category of children with special needs, B S Ishaan, Malavika Krishnan, and Sivanath emerged as the winners.