147 children rescued from begging, bonded labour in Nellore district

Nearly 147 children were rescued from begging, bonded and child labour in the last one year through special raids across SPSR Nellore district. Of the total rescued children, 79 were involved in begging, 60 in child labour and eight under bonded labour.

The 63 children who were involved in begging were sent to government schools and have resumed their education, while the rest are being breastfed. Through the Child Welfare Department, they were given accommodation in safe environments such as Vatsalya Children Home, Viswajanani Children Home and Sishugruha on the basis of their age. Some of them were handed back to their parents.

The children rescued from bonded and child labour, were also admitted in the schools. They were given ‘release orders’ by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), a financial assistance of ₹30,000 from the Labour Department and ₹4,000 per month under the special sponsorship scheme.

Speaking to The Hindu, District Collector O. Anand said, “To eliminate child begging, bonded labour and child labour, a committee was constituted with the officials of District Child Welfare Department and various other line departments. They formed special teams under the chairmanship of the District Child Welfare Officer to conduct rescue operations across the district.”

District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Suresh Kumar informed that they were providing financial support to the rescued children through Mission Vatsalya, which is a Central government-sponsored scheme that focuses on child rights, protection, and development. Under this scheme, 27 children have already received sponsorship, while 24 others will receive soon.