The Punjab Government has released ₹15.95 crore under the ongoing 2024-25 financial year for Mission Jeevanjot and destitute children. This was expressed by Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur.
Providing further details, Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the state government launched the Jeevanjot Project on July 8, 2024, to prevent children from engaging in begging.
This project is being implemented through district-level task forces, with the primary objective of rescuing, rehabilitating, and reintegrating children involved in begging. Dr. Baljit Kaur mentioned that the department is actively running the Jeevanjot campaign to safeguard the childhood of children involved in begging.
Since July, 268 children have been rescued from begging across various districts. She added that under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Punjab has registered seven government-run children’s homes and 39 non-governmental homes that provide shelter to orphaned, destitute and abandoned children.
She further stated that the government will soon establish two new homes for destitute children in Gurdaspur and Malerkotla. Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur urged the public to report cases of child begging and child labour exploitation to their district's Child Protection Unit, District Child Welfare Committee, or through the department’s Child Helpline number 1098.
She emphasized that the department is continuously making efforts to protect and uphold child rights. She reiterated that the Punjab Government is committed to the welfare and safety of children.