ETV Bharat impact: New hope for Ludhiana boy hawker; to get enrolled in school by CWC

The District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) reached out to Prince, who sold socks to ear a livlihood after ETV Bharat reported his plight. Prince lost his parents when he was six-years-old. He used to sell socks along with his elder sister to support his family.

Ludhiana (Punjab): A 12-year-old orphaned boy hawker in Ludhiana has found a ray of hope with the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) reaching out to rehabilitate and enrol him in school following a report published by ETV Bharat on the hapless child. A resident of Ludhiana, Prince started to smile again and conveyed his thanks to ETV Bharat for becoming his voice which remained unheard for long.

In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Prince said, "my parents died in an accident when I was six years old. I along with my two siblings live with my grandmother. My elder sister used to sell socks. To support her, I also started selling socks, for which I dropped out of my school. Only my younger brother goes to school."

"I thank ETV Bharat that my voice got heard and now I am happy that I will finally go to school. The Child Welfare Committee said that they will teach stitching to my elder sister and will also provide us with financial aid. I only request the department to keep providing us with financial assistance, so that I can go to school and study hard", Prince added.

Acting upon the directions of Madhuri Kataria, Director and Lilly, Deputy Director of Child Protection Unit, Chandigarh, Rashmi Saini, a member of the District Child Welfare Committee, Ludhiana reached out to Prince and his family. Rashmi said, "the child will be provided sponsorship under various government schemes. The main aim of our department is to provide education to the child. For that the child will get enrolled in a school after meeting the authorities concerned."

Rashmi further said, "we also take regular follow up of the child. All this procedure starts after a social investigation report of the family is done. During this, the authorities go to the victim's home and get a socio-economic report from the family. The children are also offered to stay in the Child care institutions, started under the Juvenile Justice Act, in which the children are provided with education, food, and several other facilities. All these facilities are provided for free to children upto 18 years of age."

Prince and his family have expressed their gratitude to ETV Bharat for highlighting their plight after which the authorities extended a helping hand along with an financial assurance.