RANCHI: The state welfare department with the help of Association Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC) rescued 26 minor girls from different localities of New Delhi. The rescued girls were brought to the city on Monday by ATSEC volunteers.

With this, the total number of rescued girls from New Delhi and neighbouring places in the last eight months has reached 94. Admitting that trafficking of girls from Jharkhand has become a major concern for the state government social welfare minister, Bimla Pradhan, said to put an end to this as they have now started providing vocational training to the rescued girls. The department has rescued 94 children, including 13 boys, who were trafficked to New Delhi, and most of them have been handed over to their parents.

In case, the department is not able to trace their parents then the girls are kept in shelter homes which are supported by the department. There they are provided free education and vocational training. "We are slowly moving in positive direction and expect that in the years to come, no girl will be required to move out of Jharkhand in search of job. Every rescued girl will get a job after they are trained," said Pradhan.

Sources in the social welfare department contradicted the claims of the minister to check trafficking with a few years. "Most of the NGOs, including ATSEC and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, which is working to rescue the girls from Delhi are not getting financial support from the state government. We cannot expect these NGOs to work with sincerity without financial support from the government and if non-payment continues they are not going to work sincerely and problem of trafficking will not end," said a source.

The minister, however, tried to play down the matter. "We had stopped giving money to NGOs to verify their credential and claims. If the funds of ATSEC and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh have been stopped then I will check it and ensure that they get it at the earliest," said the minister. Source