Guwahati, Aug. 31 -- The Assam Chief Minister's Office (CMO) launched a public awareness campaign on Sunday, declaring child begging a punishable offense under national law. The campaign encourages citizens to report incidents by calling the child helpline 1098.

The CMO's poster, issued by the State Child Protection Society, emphasizes that child begging is illegal under Section 76 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, as amended in 2021.

The law states that using children for begging is a criminal offense, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to one lakh rupees.

In severe cases, such as mutilation or repeated offenses, penalties increase to seven to ten years of rigorous imprisonment and fines up to five lakh rupees....