Representative image of a beggar.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has identified 3,009 beggars in the state, who will get assistance under a scheme called 'Sahaya', the Assembly was informed on Friday.
The Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Minister, Nityananda Gond, said the government has opened rehabilitation centres in different places and taken many other initiatives to rehabilitate beggars under the ‘Sahaya’ scheme.
In a written reply to the Assembly, the minister said Sundargarh district has the highest number of 417 beggars, followed by 400 in Cuttack, 350 in Puri and 226 in Sonepur district.
Among other districts, 195 beggars are there in Rayagada district, 189 in Dhenkanal, 180 in Bhadrak, 150 in Khurda, 135 in Jharsuguda, and 131 in Balasore, he said.
Out of 30 districts in the state, Boudh, Deogarh, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur and Malkangiri districts are beggar-free, Gond said.
So far, 19 rehabilitation centres were opened in Puri, Khurda, Angul and Sundargarh districts along with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) areas, he said.
Similarly, the government has approved the proposal to open rehabilitation centres for beggars in Ganjam, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar districts.
For the socio-economic development of beggars and their family members, the state government is providing scholarships, skill development training, inclusion in self-help groups (SHGs) and money for the marriage of their daughters under the Sahaya scheme, he added.