Patna: Police in India’s Jharkhand state have launched a campaign to bring happiness in the lives of disadvantaged children living in areas badly affected by Maoist activities.
As part of the campaign — named “Taare Zameen Par” after Bollywood actor Amir Khan’s popular movie — police are collecting discarded clothes, sports kits, books, stationery, toys, footwear, water bottles, schoolbags and other usable items from various villages.
Officials have set up at least four collection centres where villagers can donate these items to be handed over to children living in poverty.
Collection centres have come up at Latehar, Daltonganj, Garhwa and Nagar-Untari, areas considered notorious for Maoist activities.
Bloody gun battles between police and the rebels are quite common in these areas and the violence has hit children from poor families hard.
“During our visits to the remote areas, in the course of anti-Maoist operation, we came across children living in a very pathetic conditions,” a local senior police official in Palamu district Bipul Shukla told the media on Monday. “We found they didn’t have even the basic needs of life and decided to something for the deprived lot. Small contributions from well-to-do families can indeed bring big changes into their lives.”
According to the police official, the campaign has been a huge success.
“On the first day of the campaign, hundreds of people came forward and donated a variety of goods for the children,” he informed.
Recently, railways authorities launched a similar campaign for the poor in Bihar.
Under this campaign, rail authorities built a “goodwill wall” at Sonepur Junction in Bihar where anyone can get a dose of happiness by way of charity.
Sonepur Junction is located across the Ganges in Saran district of Bihar.
The “goodwill wall” wall provides passengers the rare opportunity to do something for the welfare of the humanity and get their blessings.
A message on the wall asks the passengers to leave there something — such as old clothes, bags, towels, hankies, water bottles etc — which they think are “useless” to them and take away anything which they believe could help them.
“In that way, everyone could get a share of happiness in life by way of charity as it will bring colour into the lives of the needy,” said senior divisional commercial manager Dileep Kumar, who is the brains behind the idea.
