Indore:
Indore has become the first beggar-free city in the country, officials said on Thursday.
He said that there were about 5,000 beggars on the streets of the city a year ago, when the administration started a campaign.
District Magistrate Ashish Singh said, “Indore has become the first beggar-free city in the country.”
Singh said, “The campaign we started have become a model for begging itself. It is recognized by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the team of the World Bank.”
Indore is one of the 10 cities where the Union Ministry has launched a pilot project to beg.
District Program Officer of Women and Child Development Department, Ramnivas Budholia said that the campaign against begging was launched in February 2024.
There were about 5,000 beggars in the city, including 500 children, he said.
Budolia said, “In the first phase, we launched an awareness campaign. Then beggars were rehabilitated. We also found many beggars, who used to come to Indore to beg from Rajasthan.”
He said that beggars have been banned in the city with giving money or buying anything of them, and so far three FIRs have been registered for violations, he said.
Another official said that a reward of Rs 1,000 is given to provide information about begging to someone, and many people have so far claimed reward.
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