Begging to be banned in Hyd to paint pretty picture

Hderabad Traffic Police have decided to make Hyderabad a Beggar Free City. Recently they have conducted a survey at 68 traffic junctions in the city and identified 500 beggars for rehabilitation. GHMC is planning a program to rehabilitate them and make sure they do not come on roads begging for alms.

GHMC had put a proposal to the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) requesting for a budgetary sanction of Rs 28 lakh for a period of three to six months. According to the proposal, there is an initial one-time expenditure of Rs 2,000 per destitute and a recurring expenditure of Rs 50 a day. Once the correct beneficiaries are identified and rehabilitated, begging will be banned in Hyderabad.

According to the Police, the city is home to 2000-odd destitute. Currently they are taking up those only at the traffic signals and in the second phase, those seen near places of worship and streets would be considered. The identified destitutes will be provided provide education, food, clothing, healthcare, etc apart from training in vocations. As many as 18 NGOs working with children, women, mentally or physically challenged etc have come forward to implement the programme.