Operation Nanhe Farishte: RPF rescues over 580 children in South Western Railway Zone
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Bengaluru: In a significant step towards protecting vulnerable children, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the South Western Railway (SWR) zone has successfully rescued 583 children between April 2024 and March 2025 under its rescue initiative, ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’.
Of the total rescued, 480 were boys and 103 were girls, according to the data accessed by The Hindu. These children were either reunited with their families or placed under institutional care.
Launched in July 2017, Operation Nanhe Farishte — which means "Little Angels" — is a dedicated mission to identify and safeguard children in distress or suspicious circumstances at railway stations and onboard trains. It specifically aims to prevent children from falling victim to trafficking, child labour, and other forms of exploitation.
“Although hundreds of children have been rescued in the last year, no case of trafficking has been registered by the RPF in the past three years within the SWR zone,” The Hindu quoted Manjunath Kanmadi, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of South Western Railway as saying. However, officials noted that the operation continues to play a vital role in safeguarding children before harm can occur.
Kanmadi explained that once a child is found under suspicious circumstances, they are brought to the RPF office for an initial inquiry to determine their background — whether they are runaways, missing, mentally challenged, kidnapped, struggling with substance abuse, abandoned, or potential victims of child labour. “They are first brought to a helpdesk, given food, rest, medical check-up and counselling, before being placed in safe custody,” he added.
Despite playing a key role in rescue operations, the RPF does not have the legal authority to arrest suspected traffickers under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The operation relies heavily on support from NGOs, which assist in identifying vulnerable children, conducting initial enquiries, and training RPF personnel in child protection practices; these organisations also help raise public awareness, the report added.
Authorities have urged the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity involving children at railway stations. Citizens can reach out through the security helpline at 182, the National Childline at 1098, or the police helpline 100.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
