Education, counselling support for street kids of Kolkata

Fifty street children will receive education and counselling support at a state-run school in the city as part of an initiative aimed at providing "safe spaces" to them, an NGO official said.

The idea is to provide underprivileged children an opportunity to play, learn and interact with each other, the official of Child In Need Institute (CINI) said Saturday.

The premises of Shyambazar A V School, next to a metro station in north Kolkata, will be thrown open for these 50 children - ones living on footpaths and frequenting traffic signals to eke out a living - from 5 pm to 7:30 pm, after school hours, the official said.

"The school shelter, made available with support of Women Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja, will provide educational, nutritional and counselling support to the children and seek to ensure their holistic development," he said.

CINI, in collaboration with NGO 'Save the Children', aims to help and support the underprivileged and abandoned children of this city, he stated.

"We have created 91 such 'safe spaces' for the street children in the city. The Shyambazar school will be an addition to the initiative," he explained.

Of these 50 children chosen for the programme, 30 are eligible for Aadhar cards, the CINI official said.

"The NGO has approached UIDAI authorities for a pilot project to link these children with Aadhaar. Our aim is to facilitate Aadhaar benefits for them and their families," the official added.