Ongole: Prakasam district collector A Thameem Ansariya inaugurated a Child Resource Centre, as part of the ‘Bangaru Balyam’ initiative, at the Collectorate here on Thursday. She reiterated the commitment to eliminating child labour and child marriages while ensuring a bright future for children.

The collector expressed pride in the ‘Bangaru Balyam’ initiative receiving the prestigious SKOCH Award, crediting the achievement to the collective efforts of the district administration, voluntary organisations, and public representatives. As part of this innovative programme ‘Bangaru Balyam,’ the collector announced that the centre aims at creating awareness about child rights, the need to eradicate child labour and early marriages and the importance of nutrition for children.

She emphasised that the centre was established to support the holistic development of children in the district. She stated that officials from various government departments, voluntary organisations, and a representative from the NITI Aayog would be available at the centre to assist in safeguarding child rights and raising awareness against child marriages.

The collector also visited a special photo exhibition set up as part of the event.

District Revenue Officer Chinna Obulesu, ICDS Project Director Hena Sujana, Ongole and Kanigiri RDOs Lakshmi Prasanna and Keshavardhan Reddy, DTC Suseela, Disabled Welfare Department Assistant Director Archana, District Medical and Health Officer Dr Venkateswara Rao, District Education Officer Kiran Kumar, and Agriculture JD Srinivasa Rao also attended the event.