Shocking home truths on beggars

The first comprehensive study of beggars conducted by the Social Welfare department here has made several startling revelations.

The study shows that beggars earn enough to buy their own houses, collect enough money to rent a place, and certainly will not qualify for "Below Poverty Line" status. The survey revealed that there are over 20,000 beggars in the city and most of them earn more than those toiling all day long.

A total of 1,896 beggars earn between Rs 10 and Rs 25 a day and 1,679 earn up to Rs 50 while earnings of 318 beggars goes up to Rs 100 per day. As many as 340 beggars have their own houses while 751 live in rented ones.

According to the survey, 1,473 live at bus/railway stations, 882 on pavements, 630 under trees, 96 in marriage halls and 92 in deserted buildings.

These findings would probably anger citizens in the city who flood local newspapers with letters complaining about beggars harassing them at traffic signals, at places of worship, outside their houses, restaurants and just about everywhere.

When former U.S. President Bill Clinton came to the city in March 2000, beggars had been rounded up and made to disappear so that they would not be seen by him. At that point, human rights groups had criticised the Chandrababu Naidu government for its lack of humanity.

However, Naidu, who is determined to make tourism work in Andhra Pradesh has realised that one of the dampners on tourism is beggars.

The survey reveals the begging styles, their earnings and reasons for begging. Of 4,428 beggars covered by the survey, as many as 1,867 are in the age group of 30-54 years, 1,106 between 55-99 years, 523 between 19-29 years, 412 between 13-18 years and the remaining 520 are 3-12 years.

Surprisingly, only 1,374 of the beggars covered were illiterates, 1,229 have completed high school, 551 have studied up to middle school and 156 have gone to primary schools and 1,118 know how to read and write. Religious sentiment is the Achilles heel the beggars have picked on to earn money.

As many as 1,577 were found begging near places of worship, 144 did the rounds of residential areas, 364 of commercial places, 658 around traffic signals, 120 near hospitals, 861 near bus stops or railway stations and 67 of them were found begging near educational institutions.

The survey found that 2,574 preferred the direct approach when it came to soliciting for alms, 468 depended on evoking pity by exhibiting open wounds, 438 by singing, 238 by carrying babies, 204 by exhibiting religious pictures and idols, 276 by revealing sickness, 165 by self-mortification, 39 by showing pets and 26 by other methods.

"The actual number of beggars should be at least five times more than what we have covered. However, on the basis of the case sheets of 4,428 beggars, we are preparing a comprehensive plan for the rehabilitation of all beggars," Social Welfare department joint director R V Prasada Raju said.

Shifting all those below 15 years of age to schools and those above 60 years to old age homes while providing some work for the physically fit persons is the proposed plan.