Odisha orphanage under scanner over begging issue

Bhubaneswar, July 10 (IANS) Authorities will take legal action against an orphanage in Odisha over allegations that it kept children illegally and forced them to beg, an official said Thursday.

The matter came to light after three children, who ran away from Jagannath Sishu Vikas Sevashram, complained to authorities that the orphanage management abused them when they refused to beg.

The orphanage has been operating illegally since 2010 at Kuio village, located on the outskirts of the district headquarters town of Angul, about 160 km from here, district social welfare officer Krupasindhu Nayak told IANS.

He said the administration has taken steps for the rehabilitation of the three children who escaped from the orphanage and efforts were on to rehabilitate the others also.

The district administration will close down the orphanage after rehabilitating all the children and necessary legal action will be taken against the operator, Nayak said.

He said the orphanage's secretary Bhagban Hembrum has admitted that children were asked to beg as the orphanage does not get any assistance from the government.

"The orphanage has 175 tribal children ranging from three to 15 years of age. Nearly 60 of them are girls. It does not have any basic facilities. The boys and girls have been kept in a single hall in unhygienic conditions," he said.

"It has been built on encroached government land. It does not have the necessary permission," he said.