The Hindu : New Delhi News : Some facts about begging

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 02, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Some facts about begging

Beggary seems to have turned into something of a lucrative "profession" for some, writes Ashok Kumar

There is a general perception that people beg not out of choice but out of compulsion. Begging is widely seen as the fallout of acute poverty, burdens of age, physical handicap and lack of employment opportunities.

But a recent survey by Delhi University's Social Work Department indicated that it is not always need but sometime even greed that makes people take to begging. Conducted for the Social Welfare Department of the Delhi Government, the survey has thrown light on some lesser-known aspects of begging and beggars in the city.

Of the 5,000-odd beggars surveyed on the streets of the Capital, four turned out to be post-graduates -- supplementing their monthly salaries by going around begging over the weekends -- six graduates and 796 who had studied up to the secondary level. The survey revealed that begging attracts even those who are able-bodied and a substantial number of those surveyed -- 799 men and 1,541 women -- were found to be physically sound.

So with even the educated and able-bodied taking to begging of their own volition, beggary seems to have turned into something of a lucrative "profession" for some in the city. It has thus put a question mark over the effectiveness and seriousness with which several anti-beggary laws including the Bombay Beggary Prevention Act -- banning begging, vending on roads, cleaning vehicles at traffic junctions, singing in buses and displaying disability for alms - are being implemented in the Capital.

It is common knowledge that beggars and street vendors distract drivers with their activities and people inside the vehicles block the traffic behind them while they offer alms and buy goods at traffic signals. Also, as the survey indicated, most of these beggars are drug addicts and take to petty crimes to arrange for their daily dose of drugs.

Despite all this, the problem of beggary seems to figure very low on the priority list of the Delhi police and even police officers concede this.

"Anyone penalised under the Bombay Beggary Prevention Act is sent to a special beggar court and bailed out only after paying between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 as fine. But despite the law being in place, only a handful of people caught are convicted in Delhi.

Instead of punishing the beggars, the court prefers to punish those who run begging rackets and force women and children into begging. Thus the police also prefer to chase the beggars away instead of arresting them," said a Delhi Traffic Police officer, admitting that the menace of begging has grown over the years because of poor enforcement.

But at the same time officers argue that the law has its limitations and advocated a more comprehensive approach to address the social evil.

"The law even prevents motorists and commuters from doling out alms to beggars or buying goods from vendors at traffic intersections. But just as it is practically difficult to stop people from smoking at public places, it is not possible to stop them from doling out alms as well. So these people need to be educated that their one-time charity is of little help to the beggars. Also, more stress should be laid on imparting vocational training to the beggars depending on their requirements and handicaps," say senior police officers.

Ashok Kumar

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