The Central Government has started a new scheme under beggar free India by 2026 selecting 30 cities across the nation where it is aiming for rehabilitation of adults with high priority giving to children and women who are engaged in begging.
The government has stated an action plan for this by providing funds upon successful rehabilitation. Take a few seconds how this is going to be life-changing for many.
Beggar Free India:
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has identified and introduced 30 high-priority cities of religious, historical, and tourist places for survey and rehabilitation. The government will support the districts and municipal authorities to identify the hotspots of high begging areas and free them from begging through rehabilitation.
Scheme for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprises (SMILE) will be responsible for implementing monitoring, survey, and rehab guidelines to aim for BIKSHA VRITI MUKT BHARAT (Beggary Free India) in the targeted locations. As per reports, this scheme will be launched in more cities in the coming two years to achieve the aim by 2026.
SMILE Priority List:
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will be launching a web portal along with an app for real-time updating of data that is related to those who are engaged with the begging in the targeted cities. The authorities will need to update the data collected through survey and rehab information on both the portal and app.
The data includes providing shelters, skills, education, and rehabilitation which will empower those who are engaged in begging. The government will release the funds accordingly. The religious places where the schemes will be discussed are Ayodhya, Kangra, Omkareshwar, Ujjain, Somnath, Pavagadh, Trimbakeshwar, Bodhgaya, Guwahati and Madurai where the concerned religious trust would be involved along with officials for rehabilitation of adults.
Action Plan Approved Cities List:
- Vijayawada
- Kevadia
- Sri Nagar
- Namsai
- Kushinagar
- Sanchi
- Khajuraho
- Jaisalmer
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Udaipur
- Warangal
- Cuttack
- Indore
- Kozhikode
- Mysuru
- Panchkula
- Shimla
- Tezpur
These are the tourist places with an action plan approved and received from 25 cities. The officials of Sanchi have stated there is no need for any kind of rehabilitation since there are no persons who are engaged in begging and Kangra, Cuttack, Udaipur, and Kushinagar are yet to approve an action plan.
Kozhikode, Vijayawada, Madurai, and Mysuru have completed the surveys which are part of the action plan. The survey will focus on progress through questions related to basic information like reason for begging, willingness to leave the begging, and what they would do for a livelihood. According to the survey the government will be releasing the funds to the officials which changes the cities into beggar-free spaces.
SMILE Action Plan:
The action plan, surveys, mobilization, rescue, relocation to shelters, and rehabilitation through desired skill development, education, and employment have to be updated in the portal and app.
The ministry said they will be launching the portal and app likely next month so that everything goes according to the action plan and rehabilitation of beggars to lead normal lives. The Chief Development Officer said in 2023 that two special drives were conducted in 2 months which were successful due to the rehabilitation of 5486 beggars.
However, the cause for initiating this scheme was due to an increase in the number of beggars at temples, city intersections, and markets. To perform the initiative five joint teams have been formed by Social Welfare, District Probation Department, Varanasi Municipal Corporation along with police officers and NGO workers to support effectively.
Conclusion:
This will effectively reduce the presence of beggars in crowded areas and bring a livelihood to the beggars. The effect of this initiative depends upon the response of authorities and officials to the progress and using the funds accordingly.
This can show a great impact on society if this scheme becomes as successful as the previous one in 2023 with two groups. Hope this will be implemented to the deep so that begging can be eradicated in the targeted areas.
If everything goes according to the plan then the government is likely to introduce more cities in the future that show a huge impact on cities.
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