BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has directed the Women and Child Welfare Department to rescue and rehabilitate the child beggars before the commencement of Asian Athletics Championships.
As a part of the drive, the Bhubaneswar Childline has rescued 12 child beggars from different parts of the city. Similarly, 18 minors were rescued from railway station, bus stand, traffic posts and market areas in the last three days.
“Most of these children were hired from their parents by the agents on hourly basis and engaged in begging on the Capital streets. They belong to Maharashtra, Bihar, Rourkela and Talcher,” Khurda Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member Benudhar Senapati said and added that they were handed over to their parents.
So far, six rescued minors have been sent back home and the rest accommodated at Open Shelter and Child Care Institutions here.Meanwhile, the Childline secured the custody of two minor girls who were forcibly taken to Visakhapatnam to work in a prawn factory on Saturday.
The children were spotted by RPF who reported their counterparts in the city railway station. Subsequently, a CWC team arrived at the station and took custody of the children.