Fact Check: CHILDREN helpline (1098) was not started by PM Modi and it's not for collecting leftover food

A post is being shared on social media according to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently announced that 1098 will be the Children helpline number in India.
“Good News In India: As announced by PM Modi-If you see a child begging, child Labour,
child not getting admission in school, child abused, lost or in any kind of trouble Pls don’t
hesitate to call 1098 (ANYWHERE IN INDIA ONLY) – child helpline. They will come and take care of the child ..Please circulate this message which can help many children. PLEASE DONT BREAK THIS CHAIN, “Helping hands are better than Praying Lips”. Please Copy n paste takes only few seconds.” the text read.

Some posts also claimed that the helpline number will also deliver leftover food to poor kids.

FACT CHECK

NewsMobile fact-checked the above posts and found that the helpline was started nearly two decades ago.
Children (1098) helpline is a 24×7 free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.
We checked the official website of the CHILDLINE India Foundation and found that this project was initially a field action project founded in June 1996 in Mumbai by Ms. Jeroo Billimoria, then a professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

In 1999, CHILDLINE India Foundation was formed. In 2006-07, the Ministry for Women and Child Development (MWCD) granted the exclusive ‘Nodal Mother NGO’ status to CHILDLINE India Foundation in order to set up CHILDLINE services across the country.

As for the claim that the number is used to deliver leftover food party foods to poor, it is completely FALSE.
We ran a search and found several notices on the Facebook page of the CHILDLINE India Foundation calling out this fake message.
“CHILDLINE 1098 is India’s only and #most widespread Children’s phone emergency outreach service (1098) for children in need of care and protection. CHILDLINE #India does not collect left over #food after a #party. This #email or message was not #initiated by #us, kindly do not circulate it, ” the message read.

The above information proves that the project existed before PM Modi assumed the office as Prime Minister hence the first claim id misleading.
Moreover, we also conclude that the helpline number does not collect leftover food and hence that claim is FALSE.