CHILD BEGGING AND REHABILITATION OF AFFECTED CHILDREN

• Child begging is treated in India as a form of child exploitation / trafficking, criminalised under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and addressed via the rehabilitation sub-scheme of the central SMILE umbrella programme.
• Children found begging are statutorily classified as "Children in Need of Care and Protection" (CNCP) and routed to the Child Protection Services (CPS) framework of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• Examinable for Prelims (scheme + Act + nodal ministry) and Mains GS-II (vulnerable sections, government schemes).