ADMINISTRATION SHOULD HAVE TO ‘WILL’ TO ACT

The administration can end the menace of begging provided it has the “will” to do so. It should build special schools for small children forced to beg and rehabilitate physically challenged beggars. There are others who are involved in petty crimes. If needed, they should be jailed for some time and taught skills that will help them earn their livelihood. Traffic marshals should be involved in resolving the problem. Donations can never change the mindset of beggars. “Begging is not an offence and no one can be arrested for begging,” the Delhi High Court had said in its August 8, 2018, judgment. The judge also said then: “Criminalising begging violates the most fundamental rights of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. State governments are to be blamed for not being able to ensure even the bare essentials of the right to life to all its citizens”. If the administration does not do anything about it, what can the common man do?

Gurpreet S Malhotra, Kansal