news details |
|
|
| The beggar problem in India | | | Gurmeet Kaur Allinangal | 8/8/2011 9:10:14 PM |
|
The beggar problem in India is a socio-economic problem. Poverty is the root course of this problem. According to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report-2009, India was ranked 134th among 152 Countries. Here 37.2 per cent of the people who live below the poverty line are deprived of the basic requirements of life. Associated with the problem of poverty are problems of unemployment and social insecurity. All these factors are responsible for the beggar problem. There is no proper enumeration of beggars in our country. The number of woman and child beggars is every increasing. The 1931 census mentioned just 16 per cent woman beggars. The figures shot up to 49 per cent in 2001.
In India there are numerous kinds of beggars. There are destitute women, children, blind, crippled or lame persons, Lepers, etc. Sheer poverty and helplessness force them to beg. It is common to find beggars at rubbish dumps, road sides, traffic Lights, under Flyovers and in railway stations. The weak, crippled and mentally ill share the same space with children, women and able-bodied men. The line that separate beggars from the casual poor is getting thinner in our country, where one in every four persons goes to bed hungry every night and 78 million people are homeless.
Begging in our Country has been made a crime. Ti was in the 1920s that begging was first declared a crime in British India. The Law was updated as the Bombay prevention of Begging Act in 1959, and extended to eighteen states including Delhi. This law provides for the jailing up to three years in special "beggars courts" of all people caught begging. The punishment can be extended to 10 years in case of second and repeated offences. The definition under this Law of beggars included not just beggars who seek alms, but also traditional artists who collect alms by 'singing dancing in trains or by fortune telling, etc. This criminalization of begging is a relatively recent development in our society. Traditional societies have been much more tolerant of people who live by begging. In our society, Sadhus and Buddhist monks were respected as 'Bhikshus' and not as criminals. This practice enabled them to break away from all forms of material bondage.
The operation of the anti-poor law is often inhumane. Teams of policemen armed with sticks, conduct periodic drives against beggars. They are arrested and presented before the magistrate of beggars court and the judge orders the police to send the beggars to certified beggars home. There spend years on the street, find it very difficult to live in a confined space. Many Non-Government organizations (NGOs) like Chetna, Ashray, Adhikar, Abhiyan etc. are striving to improve the condition of beggars.
In some particulars seasons, begging increases in India. On the eve of different religious festivals like Eid, Durgapuja and Navaratre the beggars get more alms. In our society, we think it is our duty to help the less fortune. In this way we encourage the beggars. But we should not just give this alms, we should donate money to the organizations which take care of the helpness beggars.
There are dangerous beggar mafias and gangs. They abduct children, cut off their limbs and blind them. They train the children and then use them for begging. The government must take strict action against these criminals, because they ruin the future of the children of our society. For eg:- In movie Slumdog Millionaire. Begging is the last resort of the helpless poor. Sometimes criminals when they came back from jails are not treated sympathetically by our society. They do not have any option, but to become a beggar. This is also not good for our society. There should be some programmes to rehabilitate them. India's beggary laws are a throwback to the centuries old European vagrancy laws which instead of addressing the socio-economic issues make the poor responsible of this poor from the face of the cities. Eliminating the poor has never eradicated poverty. Begging is undesirable, but the solution is not as simple as banning them from public places.
India aspires to achieve world standards in every field. To achieve this goal, socio-economic measures are needed to curb the beggar problem in our country. This problem can be tackled at the grassroots level if all sections of society contribute to it- be it central government, State government, NGOs and private organizations and individuals. The government should start institutions where orphans, physically handicapped and windows may find shelter and get training to work according to their physical and mental State. The beggars home must be habitable. Emphasis should be placed on vocational education so that the children of the beggars do not in turn become beggars, but can earn their live-hood. Imparting education and creating the opportunity for employment for these under privileged people can only solve this problem. Another important aspect is counseling leading a respect life is the right of every human being. Counseling the beggars on the importance of basic human traits like self-esteem or self-respect may lead them to give up begging. Such measures should be launched on top priority if we want a beggar-free India.
Gurmeet Kaur Allinangal
Anti Crime Bureau
(District President)
Pathankot (Punjab).
Contact: -09888442319 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
