Helping beggars in Indore? It might land you in legal trouble starting January 1

Starting January 1, 2025, the Indore district administration will begin registering First Information Reports (FIRs) against individuals giving alms to beggars in the city. The initiative is part of a larger campaign to eradicate begging from the city, said Indore District Collector Ashish Singh.

An awareness campaign about the new measure is underway and will run until the end of December. "If any person is found giving alms from January 1, an FIR will be registered," Singh said.

The district administration has reportedly uncovered several organised gangs forcing people into begging. Singh noted that many individuals involved in begging have been rehabilitated through recent efforts.

Indore is one of the 10 cities selected for a pilot project under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s SMILE (Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) initiative. The project seeks to make cities beggar-free and is being implemented in collaboration with state governments, local bodies, and voluntary organisations.

The SMILE initiative offers comprehensive rehabilitation services, including medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development, and sustainable resettlement for those engaged in begging. The program is designed to respect the dignity of destitute individuals and enable them to rebuild their lives.

The ministry acknowledges begging as the "most extreme form of poverty" and notes that for many, it is a matter of survival rather than choice. Forced measures alone are considered insufficient, with the focus shifting to long-term, collective action for systemic change.

According to the 2011 Census, India has approximately 4.13 lakh people engaged in begging. Of these, 3.72 lakh fall under the non-workers category, while around 41,400 are classified as marginal workers. The data underscores the scale of the issue and the need for targeted interventions.