Beggary: A Challenging National Problem

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

Founder & Director
Madurai Institute of Social Sciences
Madurai Tamilnadu
 Beggary: A Challenging National Problem…

• A beggar is one who asks for alms or charity or

performs such actions which derive sympathy
from others and who give something in return.

• You just can’t escape the beggars. They are

everywhere. On the streets, at every traffic
signal, at every temple, at all entertainment
places, from towns to big metropolises - Indian
beggars are omnipotent and unstoppable.

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

 Beggary: A Challenging National Problem……

"Hinduism and Islam, the two principal religions [of India], encourage
begging, since they enjoin their followers to support beggars. Both
religions extol the contemplative life, especially that of the religious
mendicant, which encourages the emergence of large numbers of both
genuine and bogus religious mendicants.“

PT BAUER pointed out that, in India, there were no Sikh, Parsi or Jain
beggars – because these communities discourage beggary (a blot on the
entire community), encourage self-help, and practice collective charity
effectively.

Among the Sikhs, for example, the Gurudwara hosts a daily langar where
any poor person is free to eat to his heart’s content. But with it comes a
positive motivational factor: the same poor man is encouraged to go out,
struggle, earn a living, and one day host a langar of his own for the poor.
There is also a negative motivational factor: if any Sikh is found begging,
other Sikhs will come and beat him up! The question: Who is a true friend of
the poor and who is an enemy begins to look more complex as we scratch
the surface of Third World poverty and look at phenomena like widespread
beggary with a more critical eye.
Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt
 Causes of Beggary:
There cannot be one particular cause of beggary. But it is due to multiple factors.
The main factors are economic, social, biological, religious and others.

A B C D E
Economic
Social Biological Religious Others
Causes
Poverty Family Sickness/ Religious Parental
Unemploymen disorganizatio Disease mendicancy compulsion
t& n Disability/ Alms giving Ashrama
under Family Break Infirmity/Old Charity in System
employment down age Temple/ Criminalizatio
Loss of Break-up of Mentally Mosques n of beggary
Business joint family Illness/ Churches
system Cripple
Migration
Caste Custom

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

 Age of Beggars
Age Number
<5 198 13.00
6 – 10 142 9.32
11 – 15 46 3.02
16 – 20 49 3.22
21 – 25 49 3.22
26 – 30 147 9.65
31 – 35 187 12.27
36 – 40 177 11.62

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

41 – 45 150 9.85
46 – 50 130 8.54
51 – 55 100 6.57
56 – 60 91 5.98
61 > 57 3.74
Total 1,523 100.00

The most striking feature of the above table is children 5 years and under,
constitute the largest single group and all the children, 15 years of age and
under constitute 25.34% of the total beggar population. Another painful
observation is that, 43.39% of the beggar population is in the age group of
26-45 years, the most productive period in one’s life
For some beggary is
an outcome of choice
and not compulsion
Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt
 However, considering the low-income level, immigrant status,
age factor, disability, disease and lowest social status, one can
conclude that choice could not be the reason behind beggary.
It is a survival mechanism"

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

 Suggestions

• The Beggar Problem – affects the Indian culture and heritage

– therefore we must consider it as national problem and
practically undertake various measures to solve this problem.

• The state may take special efforts to regulate and prevent

beggary especially in popular temple cities like Madurai
Rameswaram, Thiruvannamalai, Kasi, Budda Gaya, Mathura
Somnath in the background of increasing tourist interest as
well as security threats. A co-ordination committee is to be
formed with NGOs, heads of the temples, and govt.
representatives.

• Periodical amendment, strict implementation of beggary acts

are necessary in order to tackle criminalization of beggary by
powerful mafia groups
Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt
 Suggestions
• Even though from the beginning, the Planning
Commission has been undertaking research projects and
taking measures to solve this problem. It is high time that
the Planning Commission should plan effective program
and direct all the state Govts. with the help of NGO to
solve this problem in India.

• Both the State and Central Govts. Should restore their

social assistance and they must provide social security
systems. Whatever help we do should aim at restricting
the dependency attitude of the people. With aim to get
votes politicians should not extend assistance instead we
should help them to help themselves.

• Family planning schemes is to be implemented among

the beggar population

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

 Suggestions
• For able-bodied Beggars separate schemes
to be introduced and proper training is to be given for
their employment purpose.
• State Government should take measures to prohibit
beggars from migrating from one State to another
State.
• Since agriculture laborers from some part of the
Country are forced to beg due to drought and crop
failure and the State should take up programs to
prevent this.
• Day Care Centre for aged beggars is to be
maintained
• NGO’s should be enabled to involve in beggary
prevention and rehabilitation.

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt

 Questions for discussion
1. Ownership claims over target area, locations, and points by
some beggars
2. Begging groups around worship places / temples
3. Taking vows to visit temples with money collected through
begging
4. The practice of free feeding (annadhan) in temples and
chowltries
5. Perception of NGOs about begging
6. Child beggars and street children
7. Criminalization of beggary
8. Is it humanly possible to eradicate beggary?. There are beggars
who cannot be hooked in a particular place – then our
discussions on anti poverty program is just to by pass the
problems of beggars
9. Institutional beggars
10. Methodological problems associated with research related to
beggary

Dr (Capt) DVP Raja MA DSSA PhD DLitt