Need to control begging
Begging has come up as an uncontrollable menace in many parts of the country. Those cities and towns which witness huge footfall either through tourist or pilgrim arrivals top the list of sites that have been flooded by beggars.
The presence of beggars everywhere at such places not only irritates the visitors but also gives a bad name to the place as well. It also promotes a bad image about the place across the world.
The menace of begging is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach as the government alone cannot fight it by resorting to announcement of rehabilitation schemes alone. We as a society have to collectively approach the issue and help to control it.
Interestingly,, many schemes have been announced earlier as well by the government (both centre as well as state) but all these schemes did not help control the begging menace at all. As of now the union government has once again announced to revise its flagship rehabilitation programme for beggars to include components like dedicated shelter homes, vocational training, psychological counselling, healthcare services, and education for children.
The revised (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) SMILE, scheme marks a shift from punitive responses to a rights-based, rehabilitative approach that offers structured support to help vulnerable individuals.
The updated scheme adopts a four-pronged approach: survey and identification, outreach and mobilisation, rescue and shelter, and comprehensive resettlement to promote long-term rehabilitation and restore social dignity to the country’s most marginalised groups.
The scheme will be implemented in cities focusing on pilgrimages, sites of religious importance, historical landmarks and tourist areas across the country in partnership with the state administration and relevant organisations.
Importantly, religious trusts and shrine boards will have to play a significant role in implementing the scheme at pilgrimage and religious sites.
In the primary phases of the scheme the government aims to rehabilitate 2,500 individuals in the first year, 6,000 in the second, and 8,000 in the third. Each shelter home has been allocated an annual budget of Rs 48.7 lakh to cover operational costs, including food, staffing, counselling, skilling, and awareness campaigns.
The scheme though a welcome measure needs to emphasise on providing education and skill development to all those who are identified and sent for rehabilitation. This alone will facilitate long-term reintegration.
The children who have been pushed into begging also need to be enrolled in nearby government schools under the Samagra Shiksha scheme and offered after-school tuition and homework support.
Adults and old aged people who have fallen into begging also need to be provided with some skills and later rehabilitated into securing jobs that can help them to manage their day to day needs.
However, all such measures need to be brought under a well monitored mechanism wherein the rescued people who had resorted to begging are observed on weekly basis and their progress is reported through a data base that can be checked regularly by social welfare department of the concerned state or the UT.
Understandably, the prevalence of begging cannot be controlled in few weeks or months. The process may take years together but an initiative is to be taken to promote a more equitable and compassionate society where everyone can get his share of enjoying a dignified life.
