Bhopal's Plan to Curb Begging Hits Snag, as Numbers Rise

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-09-09 14:44:01 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-09 19:57:35

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Despite initial success, Bhopal's campaign against begging has suffered a setback, with the number of homeless people resorting to it rising nearly 20% since last year, raising concerns among authorities.

The central Indian city of Bhopal was lauded for its ambitious campaign to eradicate begging, which saw hundreds of vagrants relocated from the city's streets into shelters and rehabilitation centers. However, recent data from the city's administration shows that the number of individuals engaged in begging has increased dramatically, negating the initial success of the prior campaign.

Bhopal Collector, Vinay Vikram Singh, admitted that the campaign against begging has slowed down in recent times but maintained that a renewed drive will begin after the festive season to address the issue effectively. He said, "We are planning to restart the 'In-Camp' program where we will take all the beggars to one place, provide them food and health care facilities, and then try to rehabilitate them."

Singh's statement underscores the challenging balance between addressing immediate humanitarian needs and tackling the root causes of social issues, such as poverty and homelessness, which invariably lead to individuals resorting to begging.

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