Child beggars signal system failure
Kids don’t get midday meals as schools didn’t reopen, seek alms
Dozens of children from poor families are seen begging at several main crossroads of the city. Most of them are aged under 10, and are said to be seeking alms because they do not get midday meals as their schools have not reopened.
Neither the government nor the civic body has made any arrangement to feed the children. The government is yet to take a call on reopening schools, on which thousands of children depend for the midday meal.
This reporter saw two children begging even in Saturday’s pouring rain at Sangeet Crossroads. This is just one instance. Children have been spotted approaching motorists who stop for the traffic signals at several places in the city.
Child rights activist Achyuta Rao, honorary president of Balala Hakkula Sangham, said there were least 50 children, whose parents were deprived of work, found begging at every onekilometre distance.
“While some children are taking online classes, others are forced to beg on the roads. The government should look into the issue. It should either provide financial aid or supply groceries to the children, whose addresses are available in the schools,” Mr Rao said. He wanted these children tested for Covid-19.
Gattu Shankar, founder of Amma Nanna Anada Ashramam, said he had stopped rehabilitating children fearing Covid-19 transmission. Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, 400 children had been rehabilitated.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the GHMC, which had rehabilitated beggars in February as part of a `10crore Central government programme, has forced them to vacate the shelter homes and return home.
As per rough estimates, the city has about 5,000 beggars. The GHMC claimed it had rescued about 4,600 of them and rehabilitated them at 27 homes, and provided them two meals a day. When the Covid-19 cases began increasing, they were packed off home without any financial aid.
Gattu Shankar of Amma Nanna Anada Ashramam said “I was present during the discussion of the Centre’s rehabilitation programme. I do not know the status of the project. But I was told it was put on hold due to lack of funds,” he said.
Rajiv Trivedi, directorgeneral of Prisons, said the department has not rehabilitated any beggars. It is yet to recover `4.5 crore which was spent on rehabilitation of beggars taken up by the department previously.
Neither the government nor the civic body has made any arrangement to feed the children.
The government is yet to take a call on reopening schools, on which thousands of children depend for the midday meal.