Begging may be a criminal offence in India, but Maharashtra government has no relevant data of the number of beggars in the state. As a result, there is no scheme for the rehabilitation of beggars nor is there any proposal to house them, said a senior official from the social justice department, on condition of anonymity.
The official suggested that the urban development, women and child welfare and social justice departments should work together to come up with a firm policy, so that not a single beggar, especially any children or women go without shelter and can get employment.
The Supreme Court, in its order, (dated February 10, 2010 and May 5, 2010) ruled that all major cities in all states and union territories which have a population of more than five lakh have to be provided with night shelters in a ratio of one night shelter per lakh of population equipped with basic facilities such us electricity, water arrangements, toilet facilities, sanitation arrangement, and beddings i.e., blankets, mattresses, and jute mats.
In 2012, the Rajasthan Assembly passed an anti-begging bill, which sought the rehabilitation of beggars. However, the bill is yet to become a law. Before the bill was drafted, a survey was conducted in the state to assess the gravity of the situation. The bill was chalked out in a way that NGOs would play a major role in the rehabilitation process. Even, the Centre motivates mentally and physically disabled beggars to earn their livelihood and also provides training to help them acquire skills to work.
If the Maharashtra government adopts a rehabilitation scheme, financial help will be a major hurdle, claimed a source from the finance department.
The social justice department can spend its funds only on scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes, while the tribal department can use its funds only for tribal beggars. Same is the case with the department for women and child welfare. To simplify the process, there should be no classification of beggars, just like there is no classification of disabled persons while implementing schemes for them,” he concluded.