Context
The Bhopal district management has prohibited all kinds of begging, giving alms, and buying goods from beggars, invoking Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
About
- As per the Census 2011, there are 4.13 lakh beggars and vagrants in India.
- Many cities have again and again undertaken comparable actions before main activities. In 2017, Hyderabad banned begging before the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, when in 2010, Delhi removed beggars beforehand of the Commonwealth Games. These measures have drawn grievance for targeting the most prone sections of society without addressing the base reasons.
Need for Criminalising Begging
- Public Nuisance and Beautification: It is regularly claimed that beggars create a negative photograph for vacationers and buyers, particularly before high-profile events.
- Traffic and Safety Concerns: Many beggars perform at busy intersections, leading to injuries and disrupting visitors flow.
- Organized Begging Syndicates: Law enforcement organizations argue that many beggars are a part of large prepared networks that take advantage of individuals, which include children and disabled person.
- Public Health Risks: Some states cite health and hygiene concerns, specially in crowded urban areas, as motives for enforcing bans on begging.
Legal Framework for Begging in India
- European Vagrancy Act, 1869: Enacted by using the British to preserve racial superiority by preventing negative Europeans in India from resorting to begging.
- Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959: Considered a version law, adopted with the aid of a couple of states which includes Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. It criminalizes begging and presents government power to detain and penalize beggars.
- Bengal Vagrancy Act, 1943, and Madras Prevention of Begging Act, 1945: These pre-independence laws aimed at criminalizing beggars and rehabilitating beggars in workhouses.
- Vagrancy Laws beneath Concurrent List (Entry 15): Both the Union and kingdom governments have the authority to legislate on vagrancy and destitution-related matters.
- Article 23 of the Indian Constitution: Prohibits visitors in people, begar (compelled exertions without charge), and different types of forced labor.
Why Begging Persists in India?
- Poverty and Unemployment: Economic disparities and lack of activity opportunities force many people into begging.
- Lack of Social Security: Inadequate access to food, healthcare, and refuge pushes marginalized people to seek alms.
- Forced Begging and Trafficking: Organized crime syndicates force children and disabled people into begging.
- Migration and Urbanization: Many rural people migrate to cities in search of work but fail to secure employment, finishing up as beggars.
- Disability and Mental Illness: Lack of proper healthcare services leaves disabled and mentally ill individuals with no preference but to beg.
Implications of Criminalizing Begging
- Violation of Human Rights: Penalizing begging disproportionately influences the poorest sections of society and contradicts constitutional guarantees of dignity and equality.
- Arbitrary Detentions: Many anti-begging legal guidelines empower the government to detain the beggars without due procedure of law.
- Failure to Address Root Causes: Simply banning begging does no longer provide a solution to poverty or homelessness.
Government Initiatives for Rehabilitation
- SMILE Scheme (2021) : Central Sector Scheme; “Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” makes a speciality of rehabilitating beggars and offering them with opportunity livelihood alternatives.
- Persons in Destitution (Protection, Care and Rehabilitation) Model Bill, 2016: Proposed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to offer complete care and rehabilitation for destitute people but was ultimately dropped.
- Shelters and Skill Development Programs: Several states have released temporary shelters, food distribution centers, and vocational education packages to assist reintegrate beggars into society.
Source: The Indian Express
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q. Begging in India is a reflection of socio-economic inequalities and policy failures. Discuss the possible solutions to address the issue of begging in India. (250 words)
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