The Office of Registrar General of India has informed that as per Census 2011, the total number of Beggars, Vagrants etc. in India are 4,13,670 and the total number of child Beggars, Vagrants etc. below 15 years of age are 45,296.

As per entry no. 9 of State List in the 7th Schedule of the Constitution of India, the subject matter of "Relief of the disabled and unemployable" is a State subject. The States are responsible for taking necessary preventive and rehabilitative steps. However, during the year 2017-18 and 2018-19 an amount of Rs.100 lakh and Rs.50 lakh respectively was released to National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation for skill development training of members of beggar community.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development have informed that the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme meant for universalisation of secondary education envisages enhancing the enrolment ratio by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of every habitation, improving quality of education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removal of gender, socio economic and disability barriers. The scheme provides for classrooms, science laboratory, library, computer room, art/craft/culture room, toilets, drinking water facilities etc in new/upgradation and existing secondary schools. Further, interventions like survey and identification of out of school children, awareness programmes, remedial teaching for learning enhancement, self defence training for girls, provision of girls toilets, introduction of vocational education at Secondary stage, etc have also been supported under RMSA to improve access to school education.

         

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has informed that as per Section 76 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, whoever employs or uses any child for the purpose of begging or causes any child to beg shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine of one lakh rupees. However, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally sponsored Child Protecting Services (CPS) Scheme  (erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme) for supporting the children in difficult circumstances, as envisaged under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act). The primary responsibility of execution of the Act lies with the State/UTs for undertaking a situational analysis of children in difficult circumstances, for setting up and maintenance of various types of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in every district or group of districts, either by itself or through voluntary or Non-Governmental Organization. Under the scheme institutional care is provided through CCIs, as a rehabilitative measure. In these CCIs, children are provided appropriate education either within the institution or outside in a formal education system through convergence with other schemes and programs of the Government or civil society. Under the non-institutional care, support is extended for adoption, foster care and sponsorship.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has informed that they are implementing the “Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)” to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, for improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis. The mission also aims at building strong grass root level institutions of the urban poor, including those in vulnerable occupations. Further, the mission aims at providing shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless. In addition, the Mission also aims at addressing livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors by facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security, etc.

This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Rattan Lal Kataria in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

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NB/SK/jk/SJ&E-1/2-07-2019

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