Latest news with #SunithaKrishnan
Hans India
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Seethakka commends Prajwala's unwavering commitment in fight against sex trafficking
Hyderabad: An event on 'World Day Against Trafficking In Persons' was organised by PRAJWALA-An anti-trafficking organization founded by Padma Shri awardee Sunitha Krishnan, with key stakeholders from governments, civil society, local community networks, and like-minded individuals on Wednesday. The event was organised at KNL Prasad Auditorium at Red Hills on Wednesday. According to UNODC estimates, a significant proportion of trafficking victims in India which is over 60 per cent were women and children, and many were exploited for commercial sex, forced labour, and domestic servitude. India continues to be a source, transit, and destination country, with traffickers increasingly using digital platforms for recruitment and exploitation. Women and Child Welfare Minister D Seethakka commended Prajwala's unwavering commitment in the fight against sex trafficking through its holistic interventions spanning prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration. The Minister emphasized the critical need for multi-stakeholder collaboration and reinforced that ending human trafficking requires a unified approach from government agencies, civil society, and the public at large. As part of the event, Seethakka felicitated eight Anti-Trafficking Champion from judiciary, police, survivors community and grass root level workers who have demonstrated exceptional courage and dedication in combating trafficking and supporting victims. She also formally released a set of comprehensive Training Manuals for Anganwadi workers, School Teachers and Village Office Assistants developed by Prajwala. These manuals are expected to play a crucial role in early identification, timely intervention, and victim support at the village and ward levels. As part of the event, a poster reflecting the 2025 theme 'Human Trafficking is Organized Crime – End the Exploitation' was unveiled to amplify public awareness. Two impactful short films 'The Game' and 'Like, Subscribe and Share', directed by eminent filmmaker Rajesh Touchriver were also released, powerfully portraying the growing menace of cyber-enabled human trafficking and the urgent need for digital vigilance.
India Today
17-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Telangana government partners with NGOs to offer NEET, JEE coaching in schools
The government partnered with 6 reputed organisations at the national and international level to offer advanced Ed Tech facilities in government Nilekani-led EkStep Foundation, Prajwala Foundation run by Dr. Sunita Krishnan, Alak Pandey's Physics Wala, Khan Academy, Shoaib Dar-led Pi Jam Foundation and Safina Hussain's Educate Girls are the prominent organisations which came forward to offer their expertise in providing quality education by leveraging technology to students in government by the welfare and development programmes implemented by the People's Government, these organisations came forward and joined hands with the government. The decision to seek the help of noted organisations was taken in line with the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's idea of improving educational standards in the state. The state government strongly believes that partnering with India's renowned organisations will bring a revolutionary change in the education sector in the EkStep Foundation, run by Nandan Nilekani, is already working in 540 schools with an artificial intelligence-based platform. Now, the organisation will offer services in more than 5,000 primary schools in 33 districts. The organisation provides Telugu and English languages as well as Maths basics from class 3 to 5th Wallah will provide coaching to Inter students for NEET, JEE and CLAT exams. It also provides free training to students from the school level for competitive Academy will offer video-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) training in accordance with the curriculum to students from class 6 to 10th standard in the Foundation, led by Dr. Sunitha Krishnan will launch child safety and protection programmes for students from class 6 to class 12 across the Jam Foundation will provide training in coding and computational thinking to students from class 1 to class Girls will take up the enrolment of over 16,000 out-of-school children to improve literacy and educational opportunities for Advisor K. Kesava Rao, Education Secretary Yogitharana, CM Special Secretary Ajith Reddy, School Education Director Narasimha Reddy, Director of School Education Naveen Nicholas, Education Department Special Secretary Haritha, Xstep Foundation CEO Jagadish Babu, Prajwala Foundation Chief Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, Physics Wala Co-Founder Prateek Maheshwari, Khan Academy India MD Swati Vasudevan, Pi Jam Foundation Founder Shoaib Dar, Educate Girls CEO Gayatri Nair Lobo and others were Watch
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Indian Express
Trafficking ring busted in Hyderabad, 2 minor girls rescued, 3 suspects held: Police
By Debasmita Chowdhury TWO MINOR girls, who were allegedly kidnapped and trafficked for prostitution to Hyderabad, have been rescued in a coordinated operation by the Prajwala organisation and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Hyderabad Police, officers said on Friday. The rescue operation, led by Mohammad Ahammad Ali of Prajwala and conducted under the guidance of Padma Shri awardee Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala, was launched on Thursday around 11 pm after receiving information from West Bengal Police. The mission was completed in under 10 hours through close collaboration with Hyderabad Police. 'Team Prajwala raided the flat around 3 am, where the victims were lodged. There were injections found, which indicated that the girls might have been forced into prostitution,' said Rishi Kant, member of Just rights for children alliance network of 250 organisation across India. Three suspected traffickers were arrested during the operation. One of the accused was allegedly found to be involved in multiple trafficking cases), though specific details of his criminal record were not immediately available. 'The girls have been rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in Hyderabad and have been produced before the Child Welfare Unit. They have been sent safely to a children's home,' Kant said. According to Prajwala, FIRs were filed on Thursday at a police station in West Bengal and with the Hyderabad Police. The girls are undergoing medical checkups. Officers said the minors were hesitant to speak due to trauma and counselling will be required. 'There has been a complaint of a kidnapping case registered with us. The girls have been rescued. Our team is going to Hyderabad on Saturday… It's under investigation,' said a senior police officer in Canning. Sunitha Krishnan, co-founder of Prajwala, said, 'Two lives saved and two worlds safeguarded…' In Telangana, an FIR has been registered under relevant trafficking sections. All three accused have been remanded in judicial custody. (Debasmita Chowdhury is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)
