Padmapur: Children in school uniforms begging for alms at various Shiva temples during the holy month of Kartik were a common sight here in Rayagada district.
Children pleading with devotees for money not only move onlookers, it is also a violation of child rights, locals said. These cases should be probed whether they are actually poor or the parents engage them to supplement their family earnings, they added. A few devotees also blamed the local administration for such a pitiable plight of the children.
The government has conceived a host of schemes for the welfare of children and formed child protection units to monitor such programmes. Besides, women and child development department deals with the problems faced by children and a special Act under section 15 of the Constitution ensures protection of children.
Though the state government spends lakhs of rupees and engages a large number of staff to offer better childhood to kids, it hardly serves the purpose, thanks to lack of foresight on its part and illiteracy among poor parents. Often people ask their children to sit in front of temples on festive occasions to earn a few bucks gaining sympathy of temple visitors, a report said.
Though there is no dearth of NGOs at Padmapur who work for protection of child rights, they fail to take up such issues with the local administration, it was learnt.
When contacted, block education officer (BEO) Radhakanta Chhatri termed these incidents as extremely unfortunate. Beggary by such children is not at all acceptable in a civilised society, he said.
The BEO said he would take measures to identify these kids and put them up at designated hostels if required to attract them to schools.
A local lawyer Saroj Panigahi, however, squarely put the blame on the administration instead of parents for such a state of affairs. Families which are left out of all government welfare schemes go for such line of works out of compulsion, Panigrahi pointed out. PNN
