https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Helping Out Child Beggars and Hapless Women, She’s a Messiah in Khaki

Looking after the women and children in need, IPS officer Vrinda Shukla launched several initiatives and made numerous efforts to stop child begging and domestic violence. Her efforts have brought many changes in the Noida region of Western Uttar Pradesh.
Indian Masterminds Stories

On every traffic signal of the country, one thing that you’re certain to find is little kids begging for some money. In Noida, the vast industrial and residential township in the neighborhood of Delhi, a fresh start has been made to find the root of this perennial problem and help the kids and their families out of this miserable state of affairs.

The officer leading the drive is Noida’s DCP (in charge of women and children), Ms. Vrinda Shukla. She is a 2014-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, she describes how she dealt with various issues across Noida and her initiatives to make the lives of people easier- especially the children.

Ms. Shukla giving a speech under Mission Shakti program

RAISING AWARENESS AGAINST CHILD BEGGING

Ms. Shukla started out by mapping the entire area to figure out if they were a part of any organization pushing children into begging. But that wasn’t the case in Noida. She found out that kids lived in slum colonies nearby. She went on to identify the major slums that these kids were coming from.

“We went to those slums to warn the families that this is not what their children should be doing and also motivated them about the need for education. We told them firmly that the next time we find the child begging, action will be taken against the parents” Ms. Shukla told Indian Masterminds.

Ms. Shukla addressing child beggars and their families

The parents told the officer that they wanted to send their kids to schools, but could not because schools were closed due to the Covid19 situation. To solve this issue, Ms. Shukla appointed two teachers at every slum, so the children could start receiving basic education. In this way, they would also be away from petty crimes and begging.

“We get support in CSR. I spoke to a few companies and they offered to help us out. A lot of NGOs also came forward. Volunteers working at places partnered with us and now, we have sort of become a coordinating platform. Our anti-human trafficking unit will coordinate the whole effort” says Ms. Shukla.

Ms. Shukla spreading awareness against child begging

STANDING UP FOR YOUNG RAPE VICTIMS

Ms. Shukla started counseling child rape victims who felt ashamed to face the world after the shocking treatment meted out to them. She took a team of five lady police personnel, trained by excellent psychiatrists and psychotherapists from well-known hospitals. This team visits each child victim and their families and takes a care package along with them. The package consists of a colorful schoolbag filled with art books, coloring books, and a big pouch of stationary. This helps in breaking the ice with the child and they motivate them to vent out whatever negativity may be harboring regarding what happened to them and then encourage them to move forward.

Ms. Shukla in a workshop with leading psychiatrists for counseling child rape victims

“We counseled their families, siblings, and neighbors who used to shame the little victims. At times, the condition is quite bad with the victim, so we take the child to get professional counseling, in our own vehicle. This eases the family’s worries about transportation. We then take part in all the medical follow-ups” Ms. Shukla said.

MISSION ‘SHAKTI’

Ms. Shukla is part of the massive awareness drive through which she is trying to empower women regarding the knowledge of government services for women, and how they could avail these. It comes under the umbrella of Mission ‘Shakti’ (Power), but Ms. Shukla has been doing it before.

Ms. Shukla addressing a meeting under Mission Shakti

She spread awareness amongst women to use the helpline number – 112 when cases of domestic violence were at an all-time high during the lockdown. Under this, if a lady calls saying that she’s facing domestic violence, a police vehicle goes to their place and takes the necessary action.

She is helping fight domestic violence

“We launched a follow-up service and made sure to follow up after a week, and if the violence was still pertaining, we guided them until the situation improved. We called the respective stations and even wrote their application for them. It’s a successful initiative and we’ve covered about 7000 women till now” she told Indian Masterminds.

JAGRUKTA VAHAN

Ms. Shukla launched a ‘Jagrukta Vahan’ (awareness vehicle) where she put a giant LED screen on it. On this screen runs a short film of 5-6 minutes that she recorded with her colleagues, where they shared important information regarding the protection, safety, and empowerment of women.

The short film being played on ‘jagrukta vahan’

“We told them to not accept physical beatings, and if they don’t wish to file a case, they should at least call 112 so that help for them arrives. We told them about different ways through which we could come to their assistance without registering a case” she added.

The ‘Vahan’ was sent everywhere, in every nook and corner of the city and to the slums. “It got a really overwhelming response because women gathered in big numbers and would clap after it got over. Lady Personnel would even test them later about what they understood” she said.

People gathered in large numbers to watch the film

‘SWAYAM SIDDHA’

Ms. Shukla also launched a women-patrolling team called ‘Swayam Siddha’. Through this, she took feedback from the public, especially women, by way of WhatsApp, Twitter, email, and ‘Mahila Choupal’ (women gatherings).

Police personnel under ‘swayam siddha’

The aim was to know from women themselves where they feel insecure; and after gathering the information, the ‘Swayam Siddha’ teams of police officials start patrolling these areas more frequently to make women feel safer.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Bhind DM
Bhind Collector Caught on Camera Slapping Student During Exam, Incident Sparks Outrage
IAS Raju Mishra
Raju Mishra Appointed Special Secretary in West Bengal Industry Department
406951-supreme-court-of-india-sc
Centre Files Review Petition Against Supreme Court’s Order on IPS Deputation in CAPFs
J P Singh
IPS Dr J P Singh Takes Voluntary Retirement; Likely to Contest Bihar Assembly Elections from Chhapra - Know More About Him
Pushkar-Singh-Dhami
Uttarakhand: Ambedkar Bhawan Ready in Rudrapur to Empower SC Artisans; Three-Tier Audit Committee Formed Before Handover
CM Nitish Kumar
From Welfare to Wealth: Bihar Unveils CSR Policy 2025 - A Game-Changer for Private Sector Investment in Public Welfare
Ladli Behna Yojana Madhya Pradesh
MP CM Mohan Yadav Announces Rs 1543 Cr Aid for Ladli Sisters, Vows Pucca House for Every Beneficiary
Uttar Pradesh livestock development
UP Leads in Milk Output, CM Yogi Unveils National Workshop to Promote Indigenous Breeds
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
The Martial Artist IRS Officer Who Conquered North East India on a Cycle
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sushmitha and Ishwarya Ramanathan
Their Home Was Washed Away — Sushmitha & Ishwarya Built a Legacy Instead
Sushmitha and Ishwarya lost their home to the 2004 tsunami. But with books, belief, and each other, they...
IAS SHWETA BHARTI Bihar
From Wipro to Civil Services: How Bihar's IAS Shweta Bharti Juggled a BPSC Job While Preparing for UPSC
IAS Shweta Bharti, from rural Bihar, balanced a full-time job and UPSC prep with discipline, cracked...
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Social Media
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
Kaziranga Baby Elephant
Chotu the Baby Elephant Reunited with Mother in Kaziranga: Retired IFS Officer’s Post Goes Viral
A baby elephant's emotional reunion with its mother in Kaziranga, shared by retired IFS officer Susanta...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Bhind DM
Bhind Collector Caught on Camera Slapping Student During Exam, Incident Sparks Outrage
IAS Raju Mishra
Raju Mishra Appointed Special Secretary in West Bengal Industry Department
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ravi Kapoor
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-07 at 3.15
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT