The Street Begger

Begging is not allowed and yet beggars are veryadministration should take care of all the beggars.
common in India. They can be seen at places ofThose who are hale and hearty should be given
worship platforms, road-crossings, monuments, fairssome gainful employment. And those who are
and streets. They wander from street to street,crippled, blind, deaf or dumb should be looked after
locality to locality and from one bazaar to another.at public expense.
They beg for money, food, clothes etc. in alms. TheyBeggars often cheat the simple and gullible people,
often create trouble and cause nuisance. Sometimesparticularly religiously maided ones. They deceive and
they commit thefts, pick pocketing and such othercreate problems. Their number is ever on increase.
anti-social acts.They indulge in drinking, gambling, drug-abuse,
Begging has become a thriving and well organizedchild-lifting, thefts etc. They also spread disease. The
profession. Sometimes there are reports in thebeggary is now a well- organised profession and
newspapers about dead beggars leaving a hugethere are contracts for various well-known places of
amount of money and property behind them.begging. Children are often kidnapped and stolen and
They move here and there singing or in groups andthen disfigured and maimed and forced to beg for
adopt various tricks to arouse pity and sympathytheir criminal masters.
among the people. They are of many kinds-men,Begging is a great social evil and should be dealt
women, children, diseased, deformed, bind, lame andaccordingly. It is a disgrace on the Indian society.
lepers. In many a case a beggar may be a quiteEverything possible should be done to eradicate
healthy and able-bodied. But he or she may pretendbeggars and begging. The police, the administration,
to be blind, maimed or diseased. They present andthe social groups and voluntary agencies should come
ugly sight and make a very bad impression on thetogether and eradicate the problem. The political
visiters from foreign Countries. They create chaosleaders and parties should take the lead and see that
and disorder and spoil the image of the Country.this social pestilence is no more there. Law courts can
Beggars do not deserve any charity at all, not evenalso help in checking the menace. They can direct the
lame, blind and diseased. Those who are reallygovernment to strictly ban the beggary . People can
maimed, blind or deprived should be sheltered intoapproach the law courts with public interest petitions
asylums and poor-houses and not allowed to roam inin the matter.
the open. The government and the local