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MR. CHAIRMAN :Kindly conclude now. There are many more Members to speak.

SHRIMATI JAYANTI PATNAIK : At the same time, the quantum of maintenance should also be enhanced.

Sir, `Devdasi' system and commercial prostitution has become closely linked. The poor and ignorant parents are on the one side, and selfish priests and brothel agents are on the other side. These agents have successfully made use of this custom to carry on their business by putting innocent girls into prostitution. Child prostitution is acquiring menacing dimensions, mainly due to the modernising factor. A large number of girls are being smuggled in and out of the country every year. Many of the young girls entering this trade are kidnapped or lured out of their village homes by promising them marriage proposals or giving them jobs in the cities. There is an urgent need to save these young girls from the clutches of these agents.