Operation Muskan rescues over 6,000 children in Adilabad

Operation Muskan, introduced by the government to eradicate bonded labor in 2017, is being taken up in every January and July of a year

Adilabad: Over 6,000 children were freed from bonded labor through Operation Muskan in a span of five years, helping them to realize their dream to go to school and build a better life.

Operation Muskan, introduced by the government to eradicate bonded labor in 2017, is being taken up in every January and July of a year. The initiative is being successfully implemented by the Women and Child Welfare department in association with the Police and Labour departments and a voluntary organisation, liberating the children from the shackles of bonded labor.

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A team of seven, including four constables and officials of these departments, carry out the month-long special drives in order to identify children who were forced to work. They counsel the parents and ensure the children go to school. They make sure that cases are registered against owners of smalltime eateries, fruit vendors, bakeries, cloth stores, etc., for exploiting the children.

According to officials, 6,425 children were rescued through the eight editions of Operation Muskan from 2017 to 2023. Among them, 4,833 were boys, while 1,593 were girls. As many as 626 orphans, destitute children and kids with special needs were admitted to homes run by the government.

As many as 1,583 children were identified in Adilabad district in the eight phases. Mancherial accounted for 2,784 child laborers, while 1,136 kids and 923 children were rescued in Nirmal district and Kumram Bheem Asifabad district respectively. A total of 5,746 children of these four districts were counseled and were joined in schools.

Mancherial District Welfare Officer Kotte Chinnaiah told ‘Telangana Today’ that Operation Muskan programme was strictly being implemented in the district by collaborating with the Labour and police departments and taking assistance from Beti Bachao Andolan, a voluntary organisation. Three special teams were formed to identify working children in Mancherial, Bellampalli and Jaipur.