Street children send list of demands to Kejriwal

As Arvind Kejriwal Saturday took oath as Delhi's new chief minister, street children became one of the first to send him a list of demands for their betterment.

Street and working children through their federation Badhte Kadam congratulated Kejriwal on becoming the "Mukhya Sewak" (chief servant) of the people and sent him through fax a letter with a detailed list of their demands.

The letter, which was sent minutes after the swearing-in ceremony, asked the chief minister to take note of the status of street children immediately, a release said here.

The children's demands include ensuring legal identity to street and working children, implementation of all government schemes for underprivileged children and ensuring action against people involved in child labour.

The letter also asked the government to give opportunity to children to participate in children-related government meetings, at least quarterly.

"Our life is much more difficult than the 'aam aadmi' (common man). We have to face a lot of hardships in our daily lives," said 16-year-old Chandini, national secretary of the federation.

"Children have a lot of hope from this government and I hope this government will take up the issues of children on priority basis," said Sanjay Gupta, director of Childhood Enhancement through Training and Action (CHETNA), which mentors the federation.