Haryana: SMILE-backed rescue, rehab drive launched to end child begging racket

In a decisive move to dismantle organised begging rackets and protect vulnerable children from exploitation, the Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) has rolled out a state-backed rescue and rehabilitation initiative under the Union Government’s SMILE scheme (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise).

A state-level inter-departmental meeting, chaired by Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary, Women and Child Development Department (WCD), Haryana, brought together top police, child protection, health, labour and social welfare officials to target the root causes of child begging and create a clear roadmap for its eradication.

Addressing participants at the meeting Rajpal said child begging was not an isolated act of poverty in many cases, rather it was a criminally organised industry wherein children were forced into streets by cartels, traffickers or even relatives for monetary gain.

He said, “It strips children of education, exposes them to abuse and traps them in lifelong cycles of vulnerability.”

The first phase is mapping the problem; joint mapping of begging hotspots — traffic lights, religious places and markets — by the district administration, WCD and NGOs, headcount of child beggars and identification of orphans, abandoned children, or those without family support.

Second phase involves swift rescue and protection. The district task force rescues children in immediate need of shelter. Their cases are presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for legal protection, and social investigation reports prepared under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, leading to personalised rehabilitation plans.

The third phase includes long-term rehabilitation and tracking. It will focus on preventing re-victimisation and trafficking, regular monitoring of rehabilitated children and education, and imparting skill training and family reintegration wherever possible.

Officials at the meeting recognised that begging in many urban centres operates under well-structured rackets, while exploiting children as income sources. The drive aims not only removing children from streets, but also dismantling these criminal networks through police action, intelligence sharing and coordinated follow-up.

Rajpal said, “Child begging is an exploitation of innocence and a violation of basic human rights. Haryana is committed to breaking this vicious cycle through rescue, rehabilitation and taking strict action against those who profit from it. A follow-up meeting will be held in 15 days to assess progress, review first rescue operations and finalise strategies for scaling the model across the state.”

Manpreet Singh, DCP (Crime and Traffic), Panchkula, and Nisha, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, were among officials present at the meeting.