SuMo: Raid trains to curb child trafficking

PATNA: Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi has directed labour resources and social welfare officials to organise surprise raids by the Dhava Dal on trains originating from Patna to curb incidents of child trafficking. Dhava Dal is a police unit under the social welfare department.

“The state government provides Rs 3,000 to every rescued child worker immediately. They also get Rs 25,000 each from the CM Relief Fund for rehabilitation. In the last four years, 1,254 children have benefited from this scheme,” SuMo said at an event organised by the social welfare and labour resources departments in partnership with Unicef on the occasion of National Child Labour Elimination Day on Monday.

According to SuMo, the children who are not properly rehabilitated but are sent back to their parents face the risk of being pushed back into child labour. “It’s high time we also implemented the US system of providing a helpline to children to complain against any abuse,” he said.

Labour resources department minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said the department spent nearly Rs 3.11 crore on rehabilitation of the 1,254 rescued children.

Labour commissioner Gopal Meena said the social welfare and labour resources departments were working on a study to understand the reasons why a child is pushed into labour.

120 kids rescued in April

At least 44 child workers of Bihar were rescued from Telangana on April 25, brought back to Patna and housed at ‘Apna Ghar’, social welfare director Sunil Kumar said on Monday and added 76 child workers of Bihar were rescued from Jaipur and brought back on April 27.

Courtesy: TNN