Arvind Kejriwal directs his minister to stop 'anti-beggar' drive

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked his Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar to stop his 'anti-begging' drive. He called the drive "inhuman" and a "futile" exercise.

"Most inhuman and futile exercise that social welfare department could think of. I am directing them to stop it immediately," Kejriwal tweeted.

Kumar has been pushing for the drive over the last few weeks and it was to begin from Monday.

According to sources, after Kejriwal's reaction on the microblogging site, Kumar has directed his team to wind up the proposal.

Sources said Kumar had not even consulted the Secretary of the department before charting out the roadmap of the drive to make Delhi beggar-free.

The social welfare department had formed several teams which were to pick up beggars from across the city and bring them to the Reception-cum-Classification Centre in Kingsway Camp, North Delhi, before presenting them before a Metropolitan Magistrate.

The Metropolitan Magistrate was then to decide if the beggars should be sent to shelters or let off with a warning.