Will a national policy be made for the protection and rehabilitation of beggars? NHRC made this recommendation to the government

Symbolic picture. (Courtesy- Freepik)

National Human Rights Commission recommended National policy, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a consultation making several recommendations, including formulating a national policy for the protection and rehabilitation of beggars and creating a nationwide database.

Aim to improve the lives of beggars

The Commission said in a statement that this advisory has been issued to the Central and State Governments with the objective of improving the lives of people involved in begging. It said that despite the launch of several initiatives and welfare programmes by the Central and State Governments, people are still begging across the country.

What did the NHRC say in its recommendation?

The statement said that according to the 2011 census, the number of beggars and nomads in India was more than 4,13,000 (4.13 lakh). The NHRC has recommended the authorities to formulate a national policy for the protection and rehabilitation of beggars. The NHRC said that targeted financial assistance, vocational training, employment opportunities should be provided to the beggars and continuous monitoring should be done for their implementation.

What is the plan against the gang that forces people to beg?

The Human Rights Commission also recommended assessing the sociological and economic impact of anti-human trafficking laws to curb any forced begging racket. The Commission said that the law should consider begging as one of the root causes of human trafficking and should have a provision for punishable offence against the perpetrators.