She emphasised that the government’s role goes beyond rescue. “We are ensuring continuous monitoring, as every three months, district-level child protection teams verify whether these children continue attending school and are not back on the streets,” she said.However, she admitted that despite these efforts, 57 children were found missing again from the schools or homes they were placed in. “This raises an alarming question: Are these children truly safe with their families, or have they fallen victim to human trafficking or begging mafias?” she added.To address these concerns, the government has upgraded and intensified the mission under ‘Project Jeevan Jyot-2’. Over the last two days, 18 rescue operations were conducted across districts, resulting in 41 children being rescued. DNA testing has now been introduced in cases where it is unclear whether the adults accompanying the children are their biological parents.“If any adult is found forcing unrelated children to beg, strict action will follow under the law. DNA tests will be conducted with orders from the Deputy Commissioner, and during the 15–20 day report period, the children will remain safely under government protection in Bal Ghar. If DNA reports confirm that the adults are not the biological parents, stringent legal action will be initiated, including charges under anti-trafficking and child protection laws,” she said.Kaur added that an FIR has already been registered in Bathinda, where 20 children were allegedly rescued from villages suspected of being exploited for begging.She claimed that Punjab is the first state in the country to initiate such an integrated, aggressive and self-conceived programme without waiting for any directive from the central government. Project Jeevan Jyot-2 combines provisions from The Beggary Act, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, guidelines of the Supreme Court and High Court, and SOPs issued by the Punjab State Child Protection Commission.
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