Survey on Beggars

Survey on Beggars

Part of: Prelims 

Context: As per Census 2011, there are 4,13,670 beggars and vagrants in the country.

• As many as 19 States and 3 UTs have either enacted their own Anti Beggary Legislation or adopted the legislation enacted by other States. However, the provisions of these legislations vary from one another and their implementation, including the measures taken for rehabilitation of beggars, are also not uniform.
• Most of the States/UTs have adopted “The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959” which criminalizes beggary.
• At this point, there is no proposal to bring model legislation for States to decriminalise begging.

SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise

By: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

• Includes a sub-scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’
• This scheme covers several comprehensive measures including welfare measures for persons who are engaged in the act of begging. 
• The focus of the scheme is extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counseling, basic documentation, education, skill development, economic linkages and so on.

News Source: PIB