Haryana cracks down on child begging rackets

The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) has launched a coordinated crackdown on organised child begging rackets, rolling out a rescue and rehabilitation drive under the Union Government’s SMILE scheme (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise).

At a state-level inter-departmental meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary, Women and Child Development (WCD), Sudhir Rajpal, senior officials from police, child protection, health, labour, and social welfare departments drew up a three-phase strategy to eliminate child begging and dismantle the rackets behind it.

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Rajpal stressed that in many cases, child begging is not a symptom of poverty but an organised criminal enterprise. “Children are forced onto the streets by rackets, traffickers, or even relatives for monetary gain. It robs them of education, exposes them to abuse, and traps them in lifelong cycles of vulnerability,” he said.

Three-Phase Action Plan

Phase 1: Mapping the Problem – District administrations, WCD, and NGOs will jointly identify begging hotspots such as traffic lights, religious sites, and markets; conduct a headcount of child beggars; and identify orphans, abandoned children, and those without family support.

Phase 2: Swift Rescue and Protection – District task forces will immediately rescue children in need of shelter. All cases will be presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for legal protection, with Social Investigation Reports prepared under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, to guide personalised rehabilitation plans.

Phase 3: Long-Term Rehabilitation and Tracking – Authorities will work to prevent re-victimisation and trafficking through regular monitoring of rehabilitated children, ensuring access to education, skills training, and family reintegration wherever possible.

The meeting noted that in many urban areas, begging is run by well-structured cartels that exploit children as income sources. The initiative will not only remove children from the streets but also target the networks profiting from their exploitation through police action, intelligence sharing, and sustained follow-up.

“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 strict action against those who profit from it,” Rajpal said.

A follow-up meeting will be held in 15 days to assess the first rescue operations, review progress, and finalise strategies for scaling the model statewide.

DCP Crime and Traffic, Panchkula, Manpreet Singh; Additional Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, Nisha; and other senior officers attended the meeting.