Approx 80% Of People In Mumbai Beggars' Home Are Not Beggars

Eliminate begging, get the children basic education.

When I see a shocking scene like this, when a one-month old infant is lying with a blind lady on a station platform, I ask- ” Does anyone know what can be done to this one-month old infant lying in the hands of a blind lady in the platform of the Chembur railway station?”

The infant has been continuously crying and his voice is not even heard by anyone, because the busy life in Mumbai does not let anyone look around oneself and see what is going on. And there is also a loser- a guy wearing saffron robes (a “sannyasi” dress), sitting next to her and eating chips, while the infant was tired and tired of crying. When I told that the infant has been continuously crying, the lady pretended as if breast-feeding him. I am still not sure the infant is their’s, or if it is part of a begging gang/scam.

Now, the last time I called an NGO, they said – oh everyone knows about the “Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959” according to which begging is a “crime”, take them to the police and they will rehabilitate them”. Then, if police were already doing this, by now, there should be no beggars in India. I also read in another article that 80% pf people who are in beggars home in Chembur are not beggars. Most of them are old people, cancer patients etc., who have been mistakenly put into beggars home by police.

The primary goal in our country should be provide 2 meals per day to everyone. When I was riding a taxi from CST to Marine drive, the taxi driver was discussing that, since there are no jobs in villages, people run to the city and then they have no place to sleep, so they lie on the streets. Cities like Bangalore, Mumbai have created so so many jobs in the city that it has increased the number of homeless people and slums. There should be a strategy to distribute the jobs across the state and send the child beggars to schools, get them education. This is the only sure shot way to ensure that at least the next generation does not beg, and can stand on their own feet.

Submitted By ~ Nanditha Rao

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