Rajasthan government is on a mission to make the state ‘beggar-free’

Street dwellers and beggars in Rajasthan have finally found a way to uplift themselves from poverty. With Rajasthan aiming to become a ‘beggar-free’ state, the government has started an initiative to rehabilitate beggars.

The Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC) is rehabilitating beggars in association with the Sopan Institute of Science, Technology and Management. At present, over 43 beggars from the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha but based in Jaipur are residing in a shelter where they are taught yoga, sports, and computer courses.

Talking about the campaign, RSLDC Chairman Niraj Kumar Pawan told ANI, "The Chief Minister of Rajasthan wanted to make the state beggar-free and rehabilitate the beggars. The RLSDC with joint efforts of the Rajasthan Police conducted a survey on beggars in Jaipur.”

“Then we opened 'Kaushal Vardhan Kendra' where beggars in batches of 20 are being trained in different skills. Following this, they will be provided with jobs. Once it succeeds in Jaipur, it will be further taken to other districts of the state. We guarantee jobs for them after their training period and we expect to make them better citizens of this country through this campaign,” he added.

Moreover, they have already tied up with the NGO Akshaya Patra for jobs. Training for the first batch is currently ongoing, and the next one will start after three months, since they are doing it in limited numbers due to the pandemic.

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“Most of these people are aged around 30 and shall be trained as electricians, guards, beauticians and cooks. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is ready to give them jobs too. We shall set an example for the world by rehabilitating these beggars and bringing them to the mainstream,” RK Jain, Deputy General Manager, RSLDC, told IANS.

One of the residents from Andhra Pradesh said that he came to Jodhpur, Punjab in search of a job about 12 years ago, but ended up on the streets due to familial disparities.

He told IANS, “I was so fed up with family tensions that I gave up my job and then started working as a labourer and begging on the streets of Jaipur. Now, I am here learning computers and want to stand on my own feet and earn a decent livelihood. Then I shall return to my family.”

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