Anti-begging drive: Half of Punjab dists don't have child care institutes
Last week, minister for social security, women and child development Baljit Kaur introduced 'Project Jeevanjot-2', which includes a provision for conducting DNA tests on adults found accompanying begging children. This is to confirm whether the adult is the child's biological parent. If parentage is not immediately confirmed, the child will be placed in a government-protected child care institute.
Barnala district child protection officer Gurjeet Kaur confirmed that the project is already active in the district, where five children have been rescued and reunited with their verified parents under the initiative.
However, official data from the department reveals a gap in infrastructure. Of the 23 districts in Punjab, 11 districts do not have any child care institute. For instance, Ludhiana has 10 such institutes, Jalandhar nine and Amritsar eight, but many other districts, including Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Pathankot, Rupnagar, Sangrur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Tarn Taran have no such facilities. Some districts, including Tarn Taran and Malerkotla, are in the process of constructing child care institutes, but the shortage remains a significant concern.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out the difficulties faced by authorities when dealing with missing children or those with mental disabilities. 'We often receive cases late at night, and we have to send the children to distant districts where the child care centres are available,' the official said, adding: 'This is not only time-consuming but also complicates coordination with the parents.'
Under Project Jeevanjot-2, DNA testing is seen as a critical tool in identifying children's biological parents. However, the lack of local child care institutes complicates this process. 'The absence of such institutes means we have to transport children to far-off districts, which can cause delays in the DNA testing and reunification process,' the official added.
Minister of social security, women, child development and social justice Baljit Kaur could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Principal secretary of the department Raji P. Shrivastava acknowledged the concern but stated that establishing such institutes in every district is not feasible. 'In such cases, children are shifted to the nearest available child care institute,' she said.
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