Don't encourage beggars: Ramalingappa

Mangalore, March 27: Rehabilitation of beggars is difficult and the only way to stem begging is to stop giving alms, said Ramalingappa, Chairman, Central Relief Committee, who visited Nirashritara Kendra, Pachchanady, here on Sunday.

He said: “Those who give alms to beggars are equally to blame for the perpetuation of begging.

It continues because there are people who give alms. Stop giving alms to beggars and begging will stop. According to the Karnataka Prohibition of Beggary Act 1975, people must not beg. They can be taken into custody for trial and rehabilitation for begging.”

He said in the case of “beggars” seen on the streets of cities such as Bangalore, where a child was held by an “injured” woman, the child was induced to sleep by feeding it with a “chemical”.

Mr. Ramachandrappa said a pilot project was implemented along with students of Masters of Social Work (MSW) from Hampi University in Hospet taluk, Bellary district, which was India's first beggars' survey, said Mr. Ramachandrappa.

The shelters for beggars in the State were run entirely on funds generated from 3 per cent “beggary cess” and those were returned from zilla panchayats, gram panchayats and taluk panchayats. He said he was following up on getting the cess and that in Dakshina Kannada, there was no pending cess. He said there were three types of beggars in Karnataka.

They were — “contract”, “professional” and “forced” beggars. Half of the “contract beggars” in Karnataka were from other States and they arrived by train. In Davangere, there was “forced” begging by parents, who had been turned out of their homes by their well-to-do children.

In Chitradurga, there were beggars who had completed their degree.

The shelter near Kudupu, in Mangalore, has 89 inmates including 68 men and 21 women.

Of them, 52 have mental problems, including 44 men and eight women.

The oldest inmate was a 90-year-old man with no eyesight, who was obviously in a bad condition as he lay in the courtyard.

The Central Relief Committee was constituted according to the Karnataka Prohibition of Beggary Act 1975. The committee consists of four official members and four non-official members. The Government had appointed the chairman out of these members.

The Local Relief Committees function under the chairmanship and supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of the districts.