Bathinda, 23 July 2025: It must be made mandatory to verify the documents of children rescued during sponsorship and foster care checks, and police action should be taken if required. These directions were given by Deputy Commissioner Mr. Shaukat Ahmad Pare while presiding over the District-Level Sponsorship and Foster Care Committee meeting with officials from concerned departments. On this occasion, discussions were also held under Project Jeevanjyot 2.0 regarding measures to stop child begging.
During the meeting, District Child Protection Officer Mrs. Ravneet Kaur shared that under the sponsorship scheme, 201 cases have been received in the district so far. Upon investigation, 158 cases were found eligible. These include various categories such as children of widows, divorced parents, abandoned by family, orphans, children living with relatives, children whose parents are suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, etc., and cases where parents are financially or physically unable to care for their children.
Additionally, support is also being provided to HIV-affected children, children with disabilities, missing or runaway children, street children, children involved in begging, and those who are victims of abuse, exploitation, or in need of assistance. She mentioned that checks have already been conducted in Goniana and various other areas of the district and that these inspections will continue in the future as well.
Present on the occasion were Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Madam Poonam Singh, Red Cross Secretary Mr. Darshan Kumar, Dr. Bikramjeet Singh, S.S. Latika, Mr. Rakesh Kumar, and Sukhmander Singh, among others.
Summary :
Deputy Commissioner emphasized the importance of making document verification compulsory for rescued children to ensure their safety, identity, and rightful rehabilitation.