Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government started Tuesday the first phase of rehabilitating 500 beggars in the pilgrim town of Puri for which it has sanctioned funds, informed officials.
Six shelter homes called ‘Niladri Nilay’ have been set up where the rehabilitated beggars will be provided shelter, free food and healthcare facilities, informed Puri Collector Balwant Singh. Each building has a capacity to accommodate 50 beggars.
There are 366 regular beggars in Puri besides seasonal ones visiting the temple town during festivals, officials said.
According to a survey, about 1,000 beggars frequent Puri on different occasions and are found begging on roadsides. The government has decided to rehabilitate only permanent identified beggars in the seaside town, which is a popular tourist destination. About Rs 3,400 will be spent per month to meet the food, shelter and health requirement of each beggar, the officials said.
The beggars have been categorised as physically handicapped persons, mentally challenged ones, aged persons, leprosy affected and those with drug addiction. While the rehabilitation of three categories of beggars will be made at ‘Niladri Nilay’, there will be special arrangements for leprosy patients, an official said
Since Puri is a terminal railway station, many destitute people from different parts of the country arrive to the temple town by trains and adopt begging as their means of livelihood, an earlier survey by the state government had found. It also found the presence of at least 15 minor beggars in Puri town.
“Apart from the officials of Puri Municipality, the government has engaged NGOs to counsel the beggars to stay in ‘Niladri Nilay’ and quit begging. Efforts will be given to make them self-sufficient by imparting skill training,” an official said.
Each beggar family will be persuaded to take back his relative after the rehabilitation process, the official added.
According to Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disability (SSEPD) minister Ashok Chandra Panda, there are 5,950 regular beggars in Odisha with the highest number of 1,060 beggars in Cuttack district, followed by 545 beggars in Ganjam, 485 in Mayurbhanj, 423 in Sundargarh, 366 in Puri, 344 in Bolangir and only three in Deogarh.
PNN