📅 May 9, 2025, Post 10: Indore Declared India’s First Beggar-Free City: A Model of Social Reintegration | Mains Essay / Target IAS-26 MCQs Attached: A complete Package, Dear Aspirants!
Indore Declared India’s First Beggar-Free City: A Model of Social Reintegration
NEWS DROP — PETAL 010
🗓️ Date: May 9, 2025
🏙️ Thematic Focus: GS2 – Social Justice | Welfare Schemes | Urban Governance
🌿 Intro Whisper:
When a city chooses dignity over indifference, it becomes not just cleaner—but kinder.
🏙️ What’s in the News?
- Indore has been officially declared India’s first beggar-free city.
- The announcement was made by District Magistrate Ashish Singh, marking the successful rehabilitation of over 5,000 beggars.
- The initiative began in February 2024, and has earned praise from the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the World Bank.
🛠️ Key Features of the Campaign
- Launched with a public awareness phase, encouraging society to rethink attitudes toward begging.
- Followed by phased rehabilitation targeting the root causes of urban destitution.
- Children were enrolled in schools, while adults were provided employment assistance and psychological support.
🧠 Rehabilitation Model: A Tailored Approach
- Group 1: Habitual Beggars (60%)
➤ Long-term dependence on street begging
➤ Provided counselling and skills training - Group 2: Financial or Health-related Beggars (20%)
➤ Includes mentally ill, physically disabled, or poor
➤ Given medical support, pensions, or job placement - Group 3: Forced Beggars (20%)
➤ Includes children, drug addicts, victims of trafficking
➤ Provided rescue, detoxification, and legal assistance
🫂 Community Involvement and Local Resistance
- Targeted outreach to resistant groups like the Nath and Nut Samaj
- Mobile rehab centres and on-site support helped bridge trust gaps
- Focus on empowerment, not coercion
🏛️ Support Mechanisms and Governance Tools
- FIRs registered against both begging and the act of giving alms
- Reward system launched to report violations, encouraging civic participation
- Multi-level coordination between police, NGOs, and civic bodies
🌐 Global Recognition
- The World Bank team reviewed key areas once known for high beggar density—found none remaining
- Visited rehab shelters offering counselling, shelter, and vocational training
- Will submit findings to the Prime Minister’s Office as a potential national model
🔮 Future Prospects
- Final verification by the Ministry of Social Justice is pending
- If cleared, Indore could serve as a replicable model for cities across India
- May shape future policy for urban destitution, rehabilitation, and livelihood integration
📘 GS Paper Mapping:
- GS Paper 2: Social Justice | Urban Welfare Initiatives | Role of Civil Society
- Essay: “From Charity to Dignity: Rethinking Urban Poverty and Inclusion”
🌠 Closing Thought:
It is not enough to clean a city’s streets—we must also uplift the unseen lives walking them.
Target IAS-26: Daily MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1: Type-1 — “How many of the above statements are correct?”
Consider the following statements regarding Indore’s beggar-free city campaign:
1. The initiative began in February 2024 and focused on both awareness and rehabilitation.
2. Habitual beggars formed the smallest group among the categories identified.
3. The campaign includes a legal ban on both begging and giving alms in public spaces.
4. The World Bank team surveyed Indore and found no beggars in previously affected zones.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only two
B) Only three
C) All four
D) Only one
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: B) Only three
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – The campaign launched in Feb 2024 with structured awareness and rehab phases.
2) Incorrect – Habitual beggars made up the largest group (60%).
3) Correct – A ban was enforced on both acts: begging and offering money.
4) Correct – The World Bank verified absence of beggars in target zones.
MCQ 2: Type-2 — Two-Statement Assertion
Consider the following statements:
1. Community resistance from groups like the Nath and Nut Samaj was addressed through mobile support and local outreach.
2. Forced beggars, including children and addicts, were among the most cooperative and easy to rehabilitate.
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) Only 1 is correct
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – Community resistance was tackled with on-site training and localised support.
2) Incorrect – Forced beggars often require intensive intervention, including rescue and counselling.
MCQ 3: Type-3 — “Which of the above statements is/are correct?”
Consider the following statements about Indore’s rehabilitation strategy:
1. Beggars were classified into three distinct groups for tailored intervention.
2. Children from beggar families were enrolled in educational institutions.
3. FIRs were filed against repeat beggars only after rehabilitation attempts failed.
4. Citizens are rewarded for reporting acts of begging in public areas.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) 1, 2 and 4 only
B) 1, 3 and 4 only
C) 2, 3 and 4 only
D) All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) 1, 2 and 4 only
🧠 Explanation:
1) Correct – Classification included habitual, distressed, and forced beggars. 2) Correct – Child enrolment in schools was a major part of the initiative. 3) Incorrect – FIRs were filed for violating the public ban, not conditionally based on repeat offenses. 4) Correct – A reward-based citizen reporting system was established.
MCQ 4: Type-4 — Direct Factual Question
Which city has recently been recognised as India’s first beggar-free city?
A) Mysore
B) Indore
C) Surat
D) Lucknow
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
✅ Correct Answer: B) Indore
🧠 Explanation:
B) Indore became the first Indian city to be declared beggar-free, following a successful, multi-phase rehabilitation and anti-begging campaign.
