Strong drive against beggars from Dec 1, assures DG Prisons

The Telangana Prisons Department today said it would resume its drive against the "menace" of beggars from December 1, and intends to make the Hyderabad city beggar-free within 20 days.
The drive is currently suspended.
It also said that a scheme offering Rs 500 for information about beggars will begin from December 25.
The drive was started in coordination with the civic body and police on October 20 after the Director General (Prisons) V K Singh told the government that the prison department will take care of the rehabilitation of beggars on the lines of measures taken for the rehabilitation of prison inmates.

However, the drive was postponed till November 30 after media reports sought to link it to the visit of US President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, here for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit starting November 28.
"Citizens continue to inform the Prisons Control Room about the beggars on roads. Since the drive has been postponed till November 30, no action is being taken to rehabilitate such beggars," Singh said in a release today.

The drive will resume from December 1 after the departure of "a foreign dignitary", Singh said.
"Our commitment to make Hyderabad city beggar-free is solid and unwavering. Though, the break in the drive has dampened the enthusiasm of the people and the Prisons Department personnel alike, we have resolved to start a strong drive against this menace from December 1 and intend to make Hyderabad city beggar-free by December 20," he said.

The scheme to reward anybody who will inform Prisons Control Room about beggars will start from December 25. "We will pay Rs 500 for information," Singh said.
Before the drive was halted, over 235 male beggars and 130 female beggars had been picked up and shifted to Anand Ashrams (special homes).
Most of them were later handed over to their relatives after obtaining undertakings that they would not beg again.
As per a survey conducted by the civic body two years ago, there were an estimated 6,000 beggars on city streets.