Mother of tragedies: Kids sold for Rs 200

Desperate mothers in the flood-hit districts of Bihar are selling their children en masse to traffickers. Ram Dev Prasad, heading Bihar’s Child Labour Commission, pointed out that children in the districts of Supaul, Araria, Saharsa and Purnea were being sold for Rs 200 per child.

At present, nearly two lakh women and children are living cheek-by-jowl in 3,000 relief camps being run by the state government and NGOs. Most of the able-bodied men have migrated in search of jobs, leaving these women vulnerable to smooth-talking traffickers who promise their children will be provided a better life in the larger cities.

Just last week, 1,500 children being smuggled out of Bihar by human traffickers were caught at the railway stations of Patna, Hajipur and Khagaria. “While the older children were taken back to the relief camps, there were some kids who were so young that they could not recall the names of their parents or the village to which they belonged,” Mr Prasad pointed out.

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In 3 weeks: Smoke, pay Rs 200

In just over three weeks, school principals, police personnel and railway ticket checkers will have extra work: enforcing the nationwide ban on smoking in public places, in effect from Gandhi Jayanti.

Violators will be fined Rs 200 each time. The Union health ministry is working on the modalities of giving NGOs and non-official bodies powers to enforce the ban.

If health minister Anbumani Ramadoss has his way, the fine may go up to Rs 1,000 for individuals and Rs 5,000 for institutions for violations of the smoking ban.

From October 2, all offices — government as well as private sector, hospitals, banks, courts, hotels, restaurants, bars, discos, shops, railway waiting rooms will turn into no smoking zones.

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