Beggary in India- Lack of support or reluctance?

Most children in our country grow up being conditioned to a particular lesson imparted by the protective sphere of elders in their life — “Never beg for something that doesn't belong to you". But what if this extremely important lesson contradicts the very basis of your livelihood? What if your moral instincts guide you to politely, repeatedly, and most sincerely ‘ask' for that ‘something' to feed little mouths waiting at your home? Is it then justified?

The answer is NO. In this land of countless enigmatic paradoxes, you can most certainly beg for forgiveness but you can absolutely not beg for Money. And why is it so? Because here, in the 21st century, you either earn money through intense hardwork, maybe sheer smart work or you embezzle it. But you simply cannot beg for it without pledging a collateral or return. That leaves us with a behemoth problem in a nation already struggling with a booming population- The problem of Beggary.

According to the Minister of State for Social Justice in 2024, India has over 4 lakh beggars, with West Bengal topping the list at more than 81,000. Moreover, In West Bengal’s rural areas, 1.26% of households rely on begging as their primary income, compared to the national average of 0.37%. Such unnerving insights are nightmares to a developing country that not only aspires to become the third largest economy in the world but also champion itself as the voice of the Global South. Consequently, the leaders of our nation had to intervene.

Launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the SMILE initiative encompasses a comprehensive scheme for rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging. In July 2024, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a detailed advisory to the Central Government, suggesting creation of a national database of beggars and drafting a comprehensive national rehabilitation policy. Besides, there are numerous state as well as city level schemes and policies, such as the Jeevan Jyot scheme in Chandigarh,that aim to include these people within the social security net. Despite such well intentioned endeavours, the problem refuses to budge. While gaps in implementation are one reason behind the poor efficacy of these policies, we must not fail to address the elephant in the room— Reluctance.

While a vast majority of beggars are a victim of impoverishment and, at times, unjust discrimination and exploitation, there are some who treat it as an occupation. A few even make occasional news headlines with earnings that might make a random formal employee envious. There are some who are loathe to the idea of actually doing some work to earn their daily bread when they can easily sit in a cozy little nook in a railway station or a busy street and definitely earn more. Apart from these , there are others who lack faith. They harbour a genuine distrust for the aid-givers and refuse any assistance even when their families continue to starve. Then there are the child beggars, the ones that answer to the whims of their cruel masters. Their submission to and their acceptance of their present status is so absolute that it becomes difficult to pull them out of the vicious quicksands of exploitation. So what do we do? Just leave them be?

We are Indians. Our history does not speak of consent as a prerequisite for help when refusal stems from ignorance, fear or delusion. Therefore, help these people we must. The first wise thing to do in this case is to discover the 'why' behind the refusal. Once that is done, we must approach to build trust, not by making big promises at once but by showing them that ‘we are here and we are listening '. The next step would be to offer small help without infringing on their autonomy. For example, we could invite them to a free medical camp or a small paid work without setting any obligation. If we meet resistance in any of the above approaches we might try offering general community services like feeding programmes, anti-trafficking surveillance, contractual work camps, that would benefit these people without attaching any label. Government officials can collaborate with experienced agencies and NGOs to ensure that grievances are addressed expertly and at the grassroots level. Above all, we must not forget to wear our armours of patience and compassion before approaching these unfortunate souls.

India has recently surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world. It is considered by international organisations as one of the fastest growing economies of this decade. However, while a handful of its citizens have more wealth than they have places to keep, a vast majority lack the the bare minimum required to keep them alive. As our economy grows, we might be increasing the size of our pie, but the ones that need it the most still survive on the dregs left behind by the ones that are not hungry at all. And what's worse, some do not even know what a pie is. Policies and regulations are high sounding words that look good on official documents. In reality, they are a myth. As co-inhabitants of the same country where these people live, these people that do not have a pillow under their heads or a roof above, these people that do not get a morsel to eat without extending their bare hands yet receive scornful looks for doing so anyway, the least we can do for them is not cover our noses when we come across them to ward off the stench from their bodies, or perhaps let go of the meagre assistance that the government allocates for them, by not issuing fake income and other certificates and most importantly, the next time we teach a lesson to our younger ones, we tell them, “Never beg for something that doesn't belong to you, but do not loathe the ones that have to".