Youth on a mission to end child begging

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 23

Ajay Oli (26) of Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) is on a mission to create awareness against child labour and child begging. On July 1, he started his journey from Pithoragarh barefooted and reached Ambala on Tuesday after covering a distance of 690-km and passing through Uttarakhand, UP, Delhi and different districts of Haryana.

It was his 13th journey and the first phase of his journey ended last weekend in Chandigarh.

Though, he wanted to end it in Ludhiana but deteriorating health due to harsh weather conditions didn’t allow him to continue further.

Ajay has a Masters in Human Resource and Hotel Management, delivers motivational lectures to make people aware about the ill-effects of child begging and child labour.

Speaking to The Tribune, Ajay Oli, son of a retired Army man, said: “It all started in 2015. I was running an event management company in Lucknow. One day, I was returning from an event and found that some children were going to answer nature’s call at 4 am. I was told that the people don’t have toilet facilities there. They beg in the daytime while their mothers work as domestic help. We came to know that there are over 650 such slum areas in Uttar Pradesh. This incident transformed my life and we formed Ghansham Oli Child Welfare Society to support underprivileged children.”

There are around 17,000 volunteers across the nation, who make donations, rescue children and teach the underprivileged at different centres. “After winding up my business I dedicated my life to eradicate the menace of child begging and labour. I walk barefoot, people approach me and then I take the opportunity to make the people aware about my journey,” he added.

He was carrying a backpack, a stick, water bottle and some ORS packs with him. “I have observed that 83 per cent children beg on the directions of some other people, it is like a racket, while majority of the children in child labour are engaged by their parents. Infants are drugged to make them sleepy and then alms are sought in their name. Only businessmen have been earning through policies like Make in India. If we link such children (child labourers) with skill development programmes, they can generate better results. They have better understanding and immunity than us,” Oli said.

“This journey gives me satisfaction and it will be great if this mission makes a difference,” he said.