21 child beggars rescued from Punjab's Ludhiana, SBS Nagar: Minister
She said the state government is carrying out a vigorous campaign to make Punjab free from begging.
Chandigarh, Jul 20 (PTI) A total of 21 child beggars have been rescued from Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts, Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Baljit Kaur said on Sunday.
Kaur said all rescued children have been presented before the child welfare committees and are currently kept safely in children's homes, according to a statement.
If investigations reveal that any person forced these children into begging, strict legal action will be taken against them, she said.
The minister further said that if there is any suspicion regarding the identity of the child's parents, the child welfare committees may also initiate DNA testing on the orders of the deputy commissioner to ascertain the true parentage of the children.
She emphasised that the primary objective of the state government is to ensure a safe and secure future for every child, adding that continuous raids are being conducted at various locations by district teams under the Jeevanjyot-2 project.
No cases of child begging have been reported from districts other than Ludhiana and SBS Nagar, the statement said.
She said in order to completely root out the serious issue of child begging from Punjab, the social security department's district welfare teams will continue such raids and checks regularly across all districts, ensuring that no child is ever forced into begging.
Kaur appealed to the public to not give alms to any child beggar and urged if any child is seen begging anywhere, people should immediately report the case by calling child helpline 1098.
A few days ago, the government issued directions to all deputy commissioners in the state to conduct DNA tests of children found begging along with adults on the streets to find out their relationship and check child begging.
The move was aimed to check child trafficking and their exploitation for begging on the streets. PTI CHS OZ OZ
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
UP EOW nabs fugitive accused in paddy procurement after 10-year hunt
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Meerut (UP), Jul 24 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Police's Economic Offences Wing (Meerut Zone) on Thursday arrested a fugitive accused after 10 years in a high-value paddy procurement fraud case from Delhi, the agency said. Suresh Sharma was apprehended in Delhi's Saket area by a joint team of the EOW and local police. Sharma, a resident of Alipur Khalsa village in Bulandshahr district, had been absconding for several years in connection with a 2015 fraud case registered at Kotwali Dehat police station under multiple erstwhile IPC sections, including 420 (cheating), 471 (using forged document) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The case involves a scam in which the accused, posing as representatives of the firm 'Sons & Co.", used forged documents to fraudulently procure paddy worth over Rs 2.94 crore from the UP government and later sold it using fake invoices, the EOW said in a statement. Another firm, Balaji Trading Company, owned by co-accused Mahesh Chand Sharma, allegedly bought paddy worth Rs 2.16 crore from Bulandshahr's grain market, it added. 'Suresh Sharma, not officially a director of the firm, is accused of fabricating documents to falsely show government-authorised procurement. The EOW's investigation also revealed that Sharma, along with co-accused Veerkaran Awasthi and Rittik Awasthi, had created fake authorisation letters to convince farmers to sell their produce through them," it said. The accused allegedly failed to make payments to the tune of Rs 3.30 crore and fled. The Economic Offences Wing had been tracking Sharma for several days before successfully arresting him in Delhi, it said. 'The operation was supervised by EOW (Meerut Zone) Superintendent of Police Rajiv Dixit, and officers including Dharmesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Birla and Vijay Kant Sharma," the statement said. The arrest was made based on credible technical surveillance and inputs from other agencies, it said, adding that Sharma is currently in custody and further investigations are underway. PTI KIS AMJ AMJ view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 01:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
Nishad Party to mark Phoolan Devis death anniversary across UP: Sanjay Nishad
Agency: Lucknow, Jul 24 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad on Thursday said that his party would observe Phoolan Devi's death anniversary on Friday by honouring women activists and holding discussions on her 'contribution to the fight for social justice". Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Nishad praised Phoolan Devi for 'standing up against injustice" during a different era. 'The time and circumstances were different when she picked up the gun," he said. He alleged that the Samajwadi Party had illegally occupied her property and demanded that it be vacated and handed over to her mother. 'Today, Nishad Party is observing Phoolan Devi's 'city day' across every district in the state and in other states where we have a unit. We take inspiration from her journey – �from a village by the riverside to becoming a symbol of resistance against injustice," Nishad said. He added, 'The world came to know her as an iron lady, as the 'Bandit Queen'. Our party has always raised her issues and I have also raised this matter in the House today. Programmes will be held across the state tomorrow as well." Taking a swipe at those who allegedly continue to disrespect Phoolan Devi, Nishad said, 'Some people make disrespectful comments about her even today. But if one analyses the issue in depth, it becomes clear that for centuries, women have faced injustice. Earlier, the number of people doing injustice was more, and those showing respect were fewer. But under our government, the respect for women has increased." Phoolan Devi was a bandit-turned-politician from Uttar Pradesh, known as the 'Bandit Queen." Born in a poor 'mallah' (boatman) family, she was jailed for leading a gang and the 1981 Behmai massacre. After her release, she entered politics and became a Member of Parliament. She was shot dead on July 25, 2001, outside her residence in New Delhi by three masked gunmen, allegedly in revenge for the 1981 Behmai massacre. PTI KIS MNK MNK view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 00:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
4 hours ago
- The Print
2 arrested with mephedrone in Bhopal; cops suspect involvement in forced conversions
A pistol and objectionable videos of girls were recovered from the accused in addition to the drug, he said. Yaseen Ahmed (25) and Shahwar Ahmed (42) were arrested by the crime branch of police with more than 3 grams of MD and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shailendra Chauhan said. Bhopal, July 24 (PTI) Two men have been arrested with mephedrone in Bhopal, police said on Thursday, claiming that the duo were allegedly also involved in blackmailing and forced religious conversion of college girls. The accused were suspected to be making girls drug addicts and exploiting them, police sources said. National Human Right Commission member Priyank Kanoongo posted on X purported photographs of the accused with some police officials. The girls were being made drug addict at parties, exploited and converted to Islam, he alleged. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that the accused had ties with some BJP leaders. In a statement, he said, 'The case that surfaced during action against the drug mafia in Bhopal is not just shocking, but also a living proof of the moral and administrative failure of the state government…. It exposes the BJP government's corruption and collusion with criminals.' Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should clarify whether the accused had connections with any of his ministers, the Congress leader said. BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi rubbished Patwari's accusation as baseless and false. 'In fact, the BJP government in MP has taken action. For our genuine action, we are being questioned. Criminals don't have any religion, caste or political party,' he added. In this era of social media, anybody can get a photograph clicked (with another person), Chaturvedi said. PTI LAL KRK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
