Need for More Welfare Programs for Poor Children

Remember the particular scene from the Hindi movie Munnabhai M.B.B.S (2003), where the Japanese tourist was demanding to see poor and hungry people, whom he would have liked to click on his camera. May be that Japanese tourist was not able to locate them, but for any one coming to or anyone living in India the sight of poor, destitute people is a common sight. Near every religious place, traffic signals, roadside stalls etc. one can see destitute people, especially poor children, either begging or peddling small stuffs. Sometimes one wonders how this is possible. Isn’t the economic prosperity, as reported, percolating down social ladder? Probably our economy is still not married to our society which would have led to the welfare of entire nation and not just of few people who are benefiting from the economic boom. But whatever is the reason or circumstance, a society needs to come up with solution to alleviate the problems of those who are not fortunate enough. Have anyone noticed the rising number of poor children running about begging, peddling stuffs, working at construction sites or roadside stalls. Why so many children in India meet such fate? Isn’t our government is working and spending enough on child development programs. There are pure economic factors that decide the fate of the children coming from poor families, especially those who are below-the –poverty-line. Like the recent inflation is also forcing the poor parents to take the child out of the school and put them to work, so that little more money could be earned to make the both the ends meet. The children of such families are the most deprived because they are not offered any opportunity to choose about what they have to do. The state administration as well as the society needs to design child development programs and work for welfare of poor children. The administration is working towards that goal, but in a country like India with over a billion populations, need for social service is required to a greater extent.Education is the key for future success. If the drop-out rate of students from schools keeps increasing, it would be bad for the future the country. So there is urgent need for setting-up more education societies that would provide free education and other facilities like food, clothes, medicine to the children coming from poor families, so that their families don’t feel the burden of their education. Along with education if some vocational training is provided, these children can have a decent living after their education is complete or they can simultaneously work if the skills that they will develop as result of the provided training. Thus school will sound lucrative option to parents of the poor children to ensure a good future for their kids.Keeping all these ideas in mind Baba Amar Singh Ji founded Guru Nanak Garib Niwaz Education Society in 2006 for the children of the poor. Here the children coming from poor families are provided free education, food, and study kits which include books, copy, and pen. They are also provided with free medical and transport facilities, and vocational training, thus providing the entire infrastructure needed for child development. The success of the school can be noticed by the rise in the number of students coming to enroll themselves. In 2006 there were just a dozen of students registered which have increased to over 300. Guru Nanak Garib Niwaz Education Society is a charitable organization. It is an initiative of Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar, a Global Charitable Organization, initiated by Baba Amar Singh Ji in 1972. Do contribute in this honest work of ours, to make this world a better place.