District administration to punish those found giving money to beggars

The administration in India’s Indore announced stringent measures to curb street begging in the city. While beggars themselves will remain unharmed, legal action will be taken against individuals who offer them alms.

The district administration said that FIRs will be registered against those found giving money to beggars. 

The drastic measures are aimed at addressing the issue of begging and the restrictions will be effective from January 1, 2025.

The initiative seeks to reduce the number of beggars in the city and encourage them to adopt more sustainable livelihoods.

According to the authorities, an awareness campaign will be carried out until the end of December, following which, whoever will be seen giving alms to the beggars will be booked. 

“I appeal to all residents of Indore not to become partners in the sin by giving alms to people,” said District Collector Ashish Singh while speaking to the media. 

The move is part of the Union government’s pilot project "Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE)". This project will be implemented in 10 cities, including Indore. 

Indian Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment stated that begging is the most extreme form of poverty that requires collective efforts to eradicate it, rather than aggressive punitive actions.