BEGGARY - SOCIAL PROBLEM
Introduction
Beggary
can be considered as one amongst the most serious social issues in India and
need urgent attention. Despite of our country's rapid growth of economy, we are
still a poverty driven country, leading to the increase in beggars of the country.
Begging is very common, it’s a usual sight in India and we can see many such
people on the tourist areas, the railway stations, the metro stations, and
mostly the in religious places and in such areas, where we find a regular
crowd.
But, other than looking into the deep rooted problems of inequality, illiteracy,
unemployment, poverty, skewed distribution of resources, our government with
its strong arm of police,
started finding the fault of the poor indigent people. Infect Prohibiting child
beggary and criminalising forced beggary seems logical but penalising beggary
with very heavy punishment does not.
Begging is a social problem which has become a cause
of serious concern.
They can find no way out but to live on alms of others at the expanse of their
dignity. It is not only the nuisance of the begging that is becoming a matter
of concern rather imposes negative social, psychological, health, economic, and
environmental outcomes that come about as a result of the phenomena. These children,
who get involved in begging, belong to very poor families, who sleep in streets
or accompany the adults in beggar’s colonies. The children are vulnerable and
are prone to high risk or accidents in the traffic areas while begging, abused
constantly from the general public, and get sometimes involved in criminal
acts, like pick pocketing, steeling, homosexuality, drug abuse/peddling,
prostitution and many other such acts existing in our society.
Street begging in our country also have a negative
effect on our National Development. The menace of this street begging is a threat
to the societal organisation in obvious with eroding the self-reliance idea of
our nation. Therefore, the categories of beggars where some comes in wheel
chairs, others take the help of crutches or walking sticks. Innovations are
also there in which some play music drawing attention. Some are mentally
challenged, while some do it rather aggressively. Those days are gone where
begging was considered to be a practice, done by those only in need or
incapable of earning for themselves.
A beggar is a poor
person who asks others, or begs, for money or food. Another word for a beggar is
a "panhandler," although both terms are vaguely offensive. No one
wants to be a beggar.
Many people
who are beggars are also homeless and haven't been able to find jobs. Sometimes
people use the word in an informal, pitying way: "Poor little beggar,
he works so hard!" Another informal term is "to beggar belief,"
as when something is so incredible that you find it hard to believe. Another
expression is “beggars can’t be choosers” which means you get what
you get and you don’t get upset.
Begging
Cartel (Challenge) in India
Begging in India
has become a big racket in the country. In fact, there are begging cartel in
cities like Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata etc. These gangs have their
own gang leaders. Each leader allots a particular territory for a group of
beggars and the day’s earnings are shared among them. It is very difficult to
find out who is a real beggar and who is not because looks are very deceptive.
Even the children
with their dirty faces with pleading looks are properly trained to beg and look
real. Sometimes our heart melts when we see a young woman holding her tiny
baby, begging on the streets. In most cases, the baby is found sleeping. This
is a scam. Many sting operations have revealed that babies are rented to give
credibility to begging. Sometimes, babies are drugged for the entire day so
that they look sick and they can be easily carried from one area to another by
the young women beggars.
Definition of Begging as per Anti-
Begging Law
- Soliciting
or receiving money, clothes or other things ordinarily given to a beggar,
in a public place whether or not by singing, dancing, fortune telling,
performing or offering any article for sale.
- Entering
on any private premises for the purpose of soliciting or receiving money,
clothes or other things ordinarily given to a beggar.
- Exposing
or exhibiting, with the object of obtaining or extorting money, clothes or
other things ordinarily given to a beggar, any sore, wound injury,
deformity of diseases whether of a human being or animal.
- Having no
visible means of subsistence and wandering, about or remaining in any
public place in such condition or manner, as makes it likely that the
person doing so exist soliciting or receiving money, clothes or other
things ordinarily given to a beggar.
- Allowing
oneself to be used as an exhibit for the purpose of soliciting or
receiving alms.
Provisions of the anti-begging laws are highly arbitrary;
the implementation of the law is even more. Anti-begging squads are to raid
public places such as railway stations, temples, mosques, bus terminus and
arrest anybody who looks poor and homeless. There have been situations where,
homeless or disabled people were perceived to be beggars, based simply on the
fact of their homelessness or disability.
Causes of
Begging in India
Physical Factors
In India
there is no adequate provision for treatment and social rehabilitation of blind
, deaf, dumb or the physically handicapped. In the absence of any reasonable
alternative, such persons are constrained to beg.
Economic Factors
Economic
factors which generally prompt people to take to begging. Among these factors
poverty, unemployment, under-employment and loss of income are important.
Social Factors
Among the
social factors, hereditary occupation, family disorganization and widowhood are
causes of begging.
Natural Calamities
Our physical
environment may frustrate us drastically at times through famines, earthquakes,
drought, cyclones or floods. Sometimes all these natural calamities cause
serious damage to property and agriculture and compel people to leave their
homes and compel them to take to begging to overcome pangs of hunger.
Psychological Factors
Sometimes,
due to bad psychology of the individual cause beggary Frustration,
unwillingness to work and tendency towards isolation are important among these
factors.
Steps Needed
to Rehabilitate Beggars
Begging has
grown at a significant rate in India. It is estimated that half a million
people in India are beggars. The government, varied organizations, activists
claim that many measures have been taken to abolish begging and it has been
successful to a certain extent. But as the citizens of this country, it is our
moral responsibility to stop this menace and the best way is to stop giving
alms. Meanwhile, let the government continue with its poverty alleviation
schemes and make India a better place to live in.
Following
footsteps may be taken to rehabilitate beggars:
- Eradicate Poverty: Priority should be given to
eradication of extreme poverty. Though many people take to begging owing
to poverty, it has become a menace. Of late, begging has become part of an
organised crime.
- Rehabilitation: Small shelters have to be made and
they need to be imparted skills that would help them land jobs. They
should be made to earn their livelihood by working and not begging. The
government and charitable organisations should look after people who are
aged and physically challenged.
- Vocational
Training: The
government should provide necessary vocational training to rehabilitate
them. The expenses incurred should be borne by the government. A
governmentfunded organisation should be constituted and personnel trained
to oversee the rehabilitation programme. Beggars who are willing to work
should be trained according to their ability, health and talent. The ill
should be given medical care, food and other amenities. Necessary steps
should be taken by the government to collect contributions from donors by
allowing tax rebate.
- Concerted Effort: Social issues associated with begging
are drug trafficking, criminalactivities and sexual exploitation of
children. As part of the rehabilitation programme, the corporation has
collaborated with a voluntary organisation towards providing food,
clothing and medicines. To reduce the economic burden, the government
should seek the aid of voluntary organisations. However, the activities of
the voluntary organisations should be monitored and evaluated.
- Aid Agency Needed: The rehabilitated should be provided
free medical diagnosis, financial support and ration to the beggars. Slums
may come up in cities and rehabilitation should be carried out in a
judicious manner.
- Create Awareness: People should discourage beggars.
Begging flourishes because people tend to be generous. Awareness
programmes need to be conducted for the poor to help them realise how
shameful it is to beg.
Way Forward
Basic needs
of man have traditionally been accepted to be three — food, clothing and
shelter. The right to life is guaranteed in any civilized society. That would
take within its sweep the right to food, the right to clothing, the right to
decent environment and a reasonable accommodation to live in.
It remains a
hard reality that the State has not been able to ensure even the bare essentials
of the right to life to all its citizens. People beg on the streets not because
they wish to, but because they need to. Begging is their last resort to
subsistence, they have no other means to survive. Begging is a symptom of a
disease, of the fact that the person has fallen through the socially created
net.
As India is
a social welfare state, it is the responsibility of the government to develop
policies so that all its citizens can achieve that wholesome life. India is
also part of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
which has a provision for right to living with dignity and the lack of any
concrete policies to deal with the issue of beggary and homelessness is
inconsistent with that provision.
Legality of Bagging
According to the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act,
1959, which criminalize the begging, the provision not only criminalizes the
begging in the Mumbai but also in various metropolitan cities such as Delhi.
However, last year, the Delhi High Court in a landmark
judgment has held the Act as unconstitutional in Delhi, on grounds that it
violates Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution restoring the rights of
persons who have no other means of sustenance but to seek alms. The court has
acknowledged that the application of the anti-beggary act has largely been
arbitrary, leading to the detention the poor who may not be engaged in begging,
but could be people who have “fallen through the socially created net” — they
could be homeless, poor persons living with disabilities, transgender persons,
migrant or sex workers.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and
Justice C. Harishankar has noted that it is a state whose duty is to provide a
dignified life to its citizens.
About four lakh beggars of India must have heaved a
sigh of relief with the Delhi High Court ruling that seeking alms is not a
crime, even as blasting the government for turning a blind eye toward the most
vulnerable and downtrodden section of society. The unprecedented decision to
strike down as many as 25 provisions of a bootless, draconian anti-beggary
legislation also means instant freedom for hundreds of panhandlers being
prosecuted and dumped into dungeons for months on end.
Best
Practices to End Menace of Beggary
- In Bihar, Mukhyamantri Bhikshavriti Nivaran Yojna was
launched to protect and promote the rights of beggars by ensuring their
care, protection, development, socio-economic and cultural empowerment
through enabling policies and programmes.
- The government of
Odisha has adopted good measure to identify beggars provide them
alternative remedy like houses, insurance coverage, Aadhar and ration
card, healthcare facility, giving them training for vocation
- al skills for wage or
self-employment.
- Few municipal
corporations in Maharashtra including Pune Corporation had launched
‘beggar free city’ campaign.
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