Even as Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani was today elaborating, at a function in Bhopal, upon how the Central government has taken concerted steps to ensure the protection and welfare of children, more than a dozen kids under the age of 10 were begging for alms, which they do daily, at the city’s busiest traffic circle, just about 500 metres away from the Union Minister’s event site.

Smriti Irani was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the two-day Vatsal Bharat meet at Ravindra Bhavan in Bhopal organized for the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The aim of the event is to highlight the steps taken and what more needs to be done for the protection and welfare of the children.

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The children in question can be seen begging and trying to earn money by cleaning windshields of four wheelers from morning to night every day at  Roshanpura Traffic Circle, which is one of the busiest traffic points in the state capital. The distance between Ravindra Bhavan and Roshanpura Square is only about 500 metres.

However, such visuals of children begging are not just confined to Roshanpura Traffic Circle.

 Children of different age groups can be seen begging and running after vehicles for money at almost all traffic signals in Bhopal and even at various other public places like markets, outside cinema halls, shopping malls and eateries all over the city.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairman Priyank Kanungo was also present with Smriti Irani at the event.

Meanwhile, after the event Smriti Irani interacted with some media persons and launched an attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family.

“It is questionable why the Gandhi family and the Congress have shook hands with the TMC (Trinamool Congress) when everyone can see how democracy is being murdered in West Bengal during the ongoing Panchayat elections in that state,” the Union Minister charged.

She said that it is shocking how people are being killed in West Bengal only because they want to vote and exercise their democratic rights.

The Union Minister said that the Central government has decided that girls under the age of 18, who have been victims of rape, would be provided Rs 4000 per month to ensure their rehabilitation, health services, education and other facilities.

Smriti Irani said that this assistance would be provided to such girls till they attain the age of 23. The Minister said the Central government’s Women and Child Development Department has decided to allocate Rs 74 crore for the purpose.