41 children found begging rescued in raids across 18 locations in Punjab
Authorities have ordered DNA testing in suspicious cases to verify whether the accompanying adults are the children's biological parents.
Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur said, 'When we see small children forced to beg on our streets, it is not just their dignity that suffers, it raises serious questions on our society's collective conscience and on the honour of Punjab itself.'
The minister explained that the earlier version of the programme, Project Jeevan Jyot 1.0, launched in September last year, led to the rescue of 367 children across 753 raids. Of these, 350 children were reunited with their families.
Seventeen children whose parents could not be identified were placed in Child Care Homes (Bal Ghar), while 150 rescued children from other states were repatriated to their families under the same initiative.
Dr Kaur noted that the project also focused on reintegration through education and financial support. 'A total of 183 children were admitted to schools, and 13 children under the age of six were enrolled in Anganwadi centres for early childhood care. Additionally, 30 children from extremely poor families were enrolled in the Sponsorship Scheme, receiving ₹4,000 per month to ensure their education continues uninterrupted. Another 16 children were brought under the state's pension scheme, receiving ₹1,500 per month,' she said.
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