GHMC level to make hyderabad beggar-free

Hyderabad• Directs then to furnish details by Feb.29

• Apex body to be constituted at GHMC level to make Hyderabad beggar-free

Hyderabad : Commissioner of GHMC D S Lokesh Kumar on Tuesday asked all the Zonal Commissioners to coordinate with the respective DCs to ensure development of circle-level action plan towards a comprehensive rehabilitation of people involved in begging and furnish details by February 29 for onward discussion to apex body to be constituted at GHMC level to make Hyderabad beggar-free.

For this purpose, he asked the DCs to circle-level committees with public representatives (corporators), Police department, civil, traffic and SHE Teams, Revenue, Civil Supplies, ICDS, Women Development and Child Welfare departments, PHCs/UHCs/ CHCs/ basti dawakhanas / area hospitals, representatives from Social Welfare and Labour departments, local NGOs, residential welfare/colony welfare Associations and other organisations.

Lokesh kumar's instructions came in the wake of the Government of India's proposal to launch a national campaign for comprehensive rehabilitation of people engaged in begging to ensure that every person shall have a right to lead their lives in dignity and selected Hyderabad as one among the cities. Accordingly, the campaign was launched in Hyderabad on February 22 this year by way of conducting a workshop with the stakeholders. Participants in the workshop discussed the current scenario in detail and shared the past experience of various departments in detail and the need to make Hyderabad beggar-free and to retain the City as a treasure hunt of various cultures and rituals and to develop an action plan towards comprehensive rehabilitation of people involved in begging.

The GHMC has a pivotal role to play towards declaration of Hyderabad beggar-free. A major responsibility rests with GHMC and there is a need to develop an action plan incorporating the following items which include: conduct of survey and identification of beggars in coordination with the Police department, GOs, community and other agencies; classification of beggars into children, able-bodied, mentally ill, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, families, orphans; providing medical care in coordination with the nearby PHCs/UHCs in case of any acute medical care, suffering with chronic illness.

unsound and to provide free feeding; coordinate with the local GOs in all aspects right from the survey till the process of sustainable rehabilitation of the identified persons involved in begging; explore the possibilities of pooling the financial resources through funding , community mobilisation towards sustainability of the launched campaign.