Now Reading: Delhi plans citywide drive to free children from begging
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Delhi plans citywide drive to free children from begging
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced a 'Child Beggar-Free Delhi' campaign across all 13 districts. The city government, with the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and NGOs,…
The Story in Brief
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced a 'Child Beggar-Free Delhi' campaign across all 13 districts. The city government, with the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and NGOs, will counsel families of children found begging rather than remove them by force. Officials say the goal is to address the economic distress that pushes families to send children out, and to provide education or skill training to rescued children. The campaign will also target organised gangs that force children into begging. Public feedback is being sought, and the drive is expected to launch around Independence Day. Estimates suggest Delhi has roughly 70,000 street children, with thousands begging at traffic intersections, markets, and religious sites.
The Indian Opinion
The campaign sounds noble, but the real test is execution. Past drives have often pushed beggars to other areas without solving their distress. The government must prove that counselling families works better than a crackdown, and that the promised skill training reaches older children. Will the DCPCR publish a monthly count of children removed from begging and their outcomes? That number will decide whether this is genuine reform or just optics.
Sources (2): indiatoday.in, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
