New Delhi: Big step of Modi government. ‘India free from begging’. And as a first step, the Center has identified 30 cities of the country. The list ranges from Ayodhya in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south. From Guwahati in the east to Trimbakeshwar in the west. The target is to make these cities ‘beggar-free’ by 2026. Especially women and children should be prevented from begging.
The survey will be conducted in 30 selected cities initially. Which cities have more beggars, which are their ‘hotspots’, which cities need to be free from beggars first – all these will be investigated. After that, action will be taken based on that result. Rehabilitation will be arranged. The initiative is by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Work is going on under the ‘Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprises’ or ‘SMILE’ project to stay beside the marginalized people. The Union Government is bringing a pan-India portal and a mobile app for monitoring and successful implementation of this initiative. All the information will be there. Whether the beggars of the identified cities are being given proper shelter, whether they are getting education or not – all updates will be available on the app and portal. The app and portal are coming in mid-February.
According to the news so far, 30 cities have been selected on the basis of religious, historical and tourism importance. More cities are expected to be included in the list in the next two years. The cities identified are Ayodhya, Kangra, Omkareshwar, Ujjain, Somnath, Pavagadh, Trimbakeshwar, Bodh Gaya,
