To rid major cities of panhandlers, the government creates a list of thirty cities

NEW DELHI: According to Ambika Pandit, the Center has selected 30 locations for the survey and rehabilitation of persons who are begging, especially women and children. These cities are located from Ayodhya in the north to Guwahati in the east and Trimbakeshwar in the west to Thiruvananthapuram in the south.

By 2026, the ministry of social justice and empowerment hopes to assist local and district authorities in locating “hotspots” in these cities and ridding them of panhandlers.
Over the next two years, more cities are probably going to be added to this list, according to authorities.
Under a sub-scheme called “Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprises,” this outreach is being carried out in 30 cities that have significant locations (from a religious, historical, or tourist standpoint) (SMILE). The ministry plans to introduce a nationwide platform and a mobile app by mid-February to provide real-time updates of data on those identified as begging, in order to assure monitoring in accordance with the consistent survey and rehab criteria and achieve the objective of ‘Bhiksha-Vritti Mukt Bharat’ (beggary-free India).
Of the thirty cities, twenty-five have submitted an action plan, while permission from Kangra, Cuttack, Udaipur, and Kushinagar is still pending.
It’s interesting to note that Sanchi officials have told the government that no one is begging there, thus another city may be taken into consideration. Mysuru, Madurai, Kozhikode, and Vijayawada have already finished their surveys.
In accordance with the action plan, the ministry disburses funding to the district and local authorities responsible for implementation. The plan calls for mobilization, surveying, rescuing, moving to a shelter, and providing thorough rehabilitation via work, education, and skill-building in order to reintegrate into society.