Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday that begging was dangerous for the future of children and that his government was constantly taking action against gangs that exploited children for begging.

Distributing certificates and educational kits to children rescued from beggary under ‘Mukhya Mantri Bal Seva Yojana’ (General) and Smile Project, the chief minister said that begging was a part of Indian tradition in the ancient times.

“By begging, a ‘sanyasi’ could understand the philosophy of society by abandoning his ego, but today it has completely changed, leading to harmful consequences for the future of children,” he said.

He said the government was giving a platform for nurturing children who were freed from beggary, through the Smile project.

Expressing happiness at seeing 102 children rescued from beggary, the chief minister said, “Our government is improving the future of these children by connecting them with voluntary organisations. Since 2017, the Basic Education Council has been providing dresses, bags, books, sweaters, shoes and socks to all children so that even the most impoverished among them can learn and make a positive contribution to society. Today, 1.91 crore children in the state have benefited from this facility.”

The chief minister said that one should move forward with optimism if one wants to succeed in life.

He further said that a programme could be successful only if it was implemented in a transparent manner. “There should be no discrimination, no biases and no unnecessary recommendations,” he said.

“If merit is the only consideration, we will be able free Lucknow from beggary,” he said.

The chief minister emphasised that the departments should work to rehabilitate the disabled and people sleeping on the tracks should be taken to night shelters.

“The life of each person is priceless. Only a good person can become a good doctor, engineer and a good officer. Make proper efforts so that the schemes of the government reach the people,” he remarked.

Referring to the Atal residential schools that the government is building for registered labourers and children who have lost their parents, the chief minister stated, “In this school, children are being given free education from class 1 to 12 on CBSE pattern.”

He claimed that hard work, not begging, is the solution to the problems. He also mentioned examples of the BC Sakhi scheme. “A BC Sakhi of Sultanpur district has increased her turnover so much that she is earning a commission of Rs 1.20-1.30 lakh every month,” Yogi said.

Meanwhile, Mahi and Iqbal, who used to beg, expressed their gratitudes to Chief Minister Yogi for the benefits received from the government schemes.