Jeevanjyot 2.0: Lost childhood, uncertain future

It’s an endless wait for an 11-year-old boy (identity protected), who yearns for his mother to take him home.

“My mother said she would definitely come back. She will find me,” he says repeatedly.

He is one of the six children rescued by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Amritsar, from child begging under the Jeevanjyot 2.0 programme of the state government.

The boy was among those picked up two weeks ago from the Golden Temple plaza, where they were found begging.

Sent to Pingalwara’s care home, he is now the only one still under state care. Three children escaped on the second night, and two were reunited with their father — a Delhi resident — who claimed he lost them while having langar inside the temple.

Weak from malnutrition and nursing an injured leg, the boy spoke to The Tribune about missing his mother but enjoying the “kheer” served at Pingalwara’s community kitchen. His story is marked by abandonment: a missing father, an illiterate mother thrown out of her home, and a childhood spent begging outside Jallianwala Bagh.

Three other rescued children escaped from the Pingalwara and are yet to be found. Officials fear they may return to the streets.

“Rescue is the easiest part. Rehabilitation and reintegration into society is a Herculean task,” said Manoranjan Sharma, advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court and member of the Child Welfare Board. He emphasised the need for police involvement in executing Jeevanjyot 2.0 effectively. “The three children who escaped Pingalwara haven’t been found. This raises serious concerns about ground-level execution. Adults involved in child begging must be dealt with legally. What would a two-year-old know about begging?”

District Child Protection Officer Taranjit Singh said children living on the streets are the most vulnerable, exploited and face the highest risks.

Anmol, a psychologist and counsellor at the DCPU Amritsar, who has been conducting psychological assessments of the rescued children at Pingalwara, said overcrowded, understaffed care homes and weak legal enforcement made rehabilitation difficult. “These children often manipulate officials or share false information. They’ve tasted freedom on the streets, and that makes reintegration harder.”

In Ludhiana, 18 children were rescued on July 20 under Jeevanjyot 2.0. During counselling, most refused to admit that they were beggars, insisting they were simply roaming the streets. These children, though currently in Ludhiana, hail from Bihar, UP, MP and other states.

DCPO Ludhiana Rashmi Saini said, “Ninety nine per cent of them denied begging, even though they were caught red-handed. Their parents either claimed ignorance or said the children had left home without informing them.”

Five children were handed over to their parents after verifying the biological ties. DNA testing was conducted for six children and their parents at the Civil Hospital, with results pending. Another five cases are under document verification, and DNA sampling may be done if needed. Thirteen children are currently housed at the old-age home Heavenly Palace in Doraha.

One mother told the Child Welfare Committee she didn’t know her 12-year-old son was begging. He was returned to her with a warning to monitor him.

In Jalandhar, children rescued under Jeevanjyot belonged to labour class families. Officials said the children appeared “well-trained” and consistently denied begging. Their parents claimed ignorance, saying they were at work and unaware of their children’s activities. None of the children were attending school.