Arun Kumar | November 22, 2016 | New Delhi
Running up and down, chasing each other, full of life and energy, these children are all smiles.They cheerfully greet outsiders, talking to them and showing them around. 
But amid the laughter, deep down, they are struggling. Each passing moment they are fighting the craving for drugs. 
They all live together in the de-addiction centre of Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM), a non-profit organisation, near the Delhi Gate in the capital. The centre, established in June 2015, houses 78 children from ages as young as five to 18. 
Coming from across the city, these children have spent the prime years of their childhood indulging in all kinds of drugs. Some of them are left here by their families, some are runaways from dysfunctional families and some are orphans. 
They are rescued by NGOs, hospitals or the police, from the streets and railway stations, and are brought to the centre by the child welfare committee. 
The staff engage the children in all kinds of activities like studies and co-curricular activities, besides participating in daily chores like cleaning, cooking and washing.
Some are so happy and content that they don’t want to leave the centre. The organisation’s only aim is to make these promising faces start afresh. Together they are rebuilding lives.
More than 30 doctors, medical scientists and public health professionals have urged the government to take decisive action against the aggressive advertising and marketing of junk food, calling for a watershed ban on advertisements for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods (UPF
On World Lion Day 2026, environment, forest and climate change Minister Bhupender Yadav celebrated India’s remarkable journey in lion conservation and reaffirmed the country’s unwavering commitment to protecting wildlife and biodiversity. In a post on soc
Indian Railways serve about 58 crore meals every year on an average. About only 0.0008% food quality related complaints are received on average. Based on complaints during the last three years, appropriate penal actions have been taken by IRCTC. Such actions include imposition of fines amounting to ₹5.13
India has built digital systems for identity, payments, taxation, documents, logistics and public services. State governments, ministries, infrastructure agencies and urban local bodies have also created portals for land records, building permissions, project monitoring, property taxation and municipal s
A first-of-its-kind AI-enabled skill census conducted in Mumbai`s H-West Ward has identified a potential livelihood pipeline of nearly 22,000 candidates, generated over 32,000 provisional job matches while revealing that 71.2 per cent of surveyed homemakers are willing to join the workforce, according to
Geographical Indication (GI) tags have emerged as a powerful tool for protecting India`s cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities for local communities. By linking products to their place of origin, GI tags preserve traditional knowledge, prevent misuse, and enhance consumer trust. They h
