SMILE-75 Initiative
Source: The Hindu
GS I: Sociology; GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies; GS III: Indian Economy
What is discussed under SMILE-75 initiative?
- What Is SMILE-75 initiative?
- Objectives of SMILE-75 initiative
- Status of beggars in India
Why in News?
The Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment developed the ‘SMILE-75 Initiative’ to provide complete rehabilitation to beggars.
Key Facts
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- In the spirit of AzadikaAmritMahotsav, the Government of India has chosen 75 municipal corporations to execute complete rehabilitation of beggars via SMILE-75.
- The initiative is part of the Ministry’s current SMILE project, which has been allotted 100 crore till 2025-2026.
- SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise.
What Is SMILE-75 Initiative?
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- 75 municipal corporations, in partnership with NGOs and other stakeholders, will cover a wide range of comprehensive welfare measures for beggers, with a particular emphasis on:
Photo by Yash Parashar on Unsplash - Rehabilitation
- Provision of medical facilities
- Counselling and awareness
- Education
- Skill development
- Economic linkages and convergence with other government welfare programmes
- Project aims to make 75 municipalities ‘begging-free’.
- 75 municipal corporations, in partnership with NGOs and other stakeholders, will cover a wide range of comprehensive welfare measures for beggers, with a particular emphasis on:
Objectives of SMILE-75
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- The Ministry, through the coordinated action of various stakeholders, intends that no one is forced to beg in order to survive and meet their basic requirements by developing a support framework for comprehensive rehabilitation of people engaged in the act of begging.
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recognises the critical role of local urban bodies, civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations in addressing this persistent social issue via collaborative efforts.
Components
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- This contains a sub-scheme of complete rehabilitation for those who beg, covering identification, rehabilitation, medical care, counselling, and education, as well as skill development for good jobs and self-employment/entrepreneurship.
Status of Beggars in India
- According to the 2011 Census:
- The total number of beggars in India is 4,13,670 (including 2,21,673 men and 1,91,997 females), an increase over the previous census.
- West Bengal tops the list, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- Lakshadweep has only two vagrants.
- Begging is a criminal offence in places such as Delhi and Mumbai, according to the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, or BPBA (1959).
- Under the act, workers from the Social Welfare Department undertake raids with the assistance of the police to pick up beggars.
- They are later tried in special tribunals known as “beggar courts.”
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