Punjab’s Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Minister Baljit Kaur, announced on Sunday that 21 child beggars have been rescued from the districts of Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.
Minister Baljit Kaur stated that the state government is actively running a campaign to eliminate begging from Punjab. As part of this effort, special rescue operations were conducted by the district child protection units at bus stands, railway stations, and other public areas. These operations led to the rescue of 18 children in Ludhiana and 3 in SBS Nagar.
According to an official statement, the rescued children have been produced before the respective child welfare committees and are currently being housed safely in child care institutions.
Minister Baljit Kaur also warned that if it is discovered that any individuals forced these children into begging, strict legal action would be taken against them. In cases where there is uncertainty about a child’s parentage, DNA tests may be ordered by the district administration to verify relationships.
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਸਮਾਜਿਕ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ, ਇਸਤਰੀ ਅਤੇ ਬਾਲ ਵਿਕਾਸ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਡਾ. ਬਲਜੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਾਨ ਦੀ ਅਗਵਾਈ ਵਾਲੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਮਾਸੂਮ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਭੀਖ਼ ਮੰਗਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਗਿਰੋਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਕਬਜ਼ੇ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਮੁਕਤ ਕਰਵਾ ਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਾਂ ਕੋਲ ਭੇਜਿਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ।
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Punjab Social Security, Women and… pic.twitter.com/gC3nu9X76R— Government of Punjab (@PbGovtIndia) July 19, 2025
She stressed that the government’s top priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of every child. Under the Jeevanjyot-2 project, continuous rescue drives are being carried out across targeted areas.
The statement clarified that so far, no other districts apart from Ludhiana and SBS Nagar have reported incidents of child begging.
Minister Baljit Kaur assured that the department’s district welfare teams will maintain regular checks throughout the state to completely eradicate the problem of child begging. She urged the public not to give money to child beggars and instead report such cases to the child helpline number 1098.
Recently, the state government directed all deputy commissioners to initiate DNA testing for children found begging alongside adults on the streets. This step aims to verify familial ties and curb child trafficking and exploitation for forced begging.