VIJAY, A 42-YEAR-OLD labourer from Saharanpur, lost both legs around eight years ago while trying to board a moving train in Meerut. Lacking other skills to support his family of four, he turned to begging to make ends meet. His wife, Seema, was pregnant at the time of the accident.
A few months later, Vijay brought his family to Lucknow, settling near the Charbagh railway station. He cites two main reasons for the relocation: First, to escape the “social stigma” he faced and second, because begging in Lucknow is “more lucrative than in other cities across the state.” People in Lucknow have a higher spending capacity compared to residents of other districts in UP, Vijay pointed out.
He also claimed that he would quit begging only after the state government provides him with a “proper house and work that he is capable of doing.”
Vijay shared these details with a joint team from the Lucknow district administration, which is gathering comprehensive information about beggars. The survey, launched under the directives of Lucknow’s Divisional Commissioner Roshan Jacob, aims at identifying and collecting data on beggars to assess which government facilities they are not getting access to.
A 15-day pilot project, which commenced on October 19, was completed recently. Five separate “static teams,” each comprising representatives from five state departments —Mahila Kalyan, the Municipal Corporation, the Police, Samaj Kalyan and the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) — have been formed to collect data from beggars. Each team includes one woman from Mahila Kalyan and three police constables. These five static teams, stationed at key intersections, are supported by two mobile teams known as ‘Nigrani,’ which also includes representatives from all five departments, including Mahila Kalyan.
The 15-day project was extended until November 7 due to festivals during this period, said a senior official from the Mahila Kalyan department.
The static team has been provided with an eight-point proforma — created collaboratively by the five departments — on which specific questions are based for each beggar. The points include personal details of the individual and their family members, as well as information on how long the person has been engaged in begging.
Under the pilot project, five major intersections in Lucknow, known to have a high number of beggars, have been selected. The joint teams are stationed at these intersections to record details from beggars. The locations include Hazratganj, Lal Batti, Polytechnic, Charbagh Railway Station and Awadh Crossing.
The mobile teams patrol designated routes regularly and their work is to identify men, women and children engaged in begging and relay that information to the static teams, which respond immediately. The static teams focus on gathering detailed information from beggars.
Among the key details gathered from beggars are whether they possess Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs and bank accounts. The team is also assessing whether they are receiving benefits of government schemes, including pensions and old-age support, as well as what assistance they need to leave the begging profession. “We face many challenges during this process, as many beggars deny being involved in begging when they see a large presence of people, including police personnel. They often come up with various excuses for being there. When questioned, some even create a ruckus, putting us in a difficult situation at times. We have to reassure them that they will not be harmed and that the government will provide support. Only then do they feel comfortable sharing their details,” said a member of a static team.
Over the past few days, the team has collected data from 130 beggars. “The main purpose of the program is to find ways to connect these beggars with mainstream society and identify which government services they may be lacking,” said Saurabh Tripathi, project officer at DUDA. He added that without understanding the underlying reasons, no effective solutions can be developed.
“The next steps will be determined on the basis of the outcomes of the project,” Tripathi noted.
Another key objective of the administration is to explore how these persons can transition away from begging. According to a recent survey conducted by an NGO, there are nearly 4,000 beggars in the state capital.
According to the survey team, during the pilot project, they found that mostly beggars come from nearby districts such as Barabanki, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Rae Bareli, and Amethi, representing various religious backgrounds. Among the beggars from the Hindu community, many belong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
It was found that many beggars migrate to Lucknow with their families and often settle in areas overlooked by the administration, such as under highways, near railway stations and bus stands, in abandoned parks and other similar locations. “While the younger male members of the family typically work as labourers, while women and the elderly engage in begging. These beggars usually begin their activities around 9 am and return to their shelters by 6 pm,” said a team member.
A large number of beggars were found to possess Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, and even bank accounts. Several elderly persons and widows receive pensions and some beggars claim to own mobile phones.
An officer said it has been found that only a small percentage of beggars are doing so out of necessity, while the remaining 95 per cent are professional beggars. Some of these beggars once had technical skills or artistic talents that have become obsolete due to modernisation.
According to officials, on average, each beggar collects around Rs 200-300 per day, with the highest earnings among pregnant women and those carrying infants, who can earn up to Rs 600-800 daily. It was also found that pregnant women typically have their deliveries at home or in community or primary health centres.
“Begging has become a profession; the more vulnerable you appear, the more money you make,” said an official from the static team. Several elderly and widowed beggars were found to be receiving pensions from the government. “A distinctive feature of beggars’ families is their lack of religious affiliations. Most of them name their children after festivals, months, dates, or familiar objects, making it difficult to determine their religion based on their names,” noted a team member.
He added that beggars could be referred to as ‘shuttling beggars’ as they return to their native places every 25-30 days or so. After a three-day break, they come back to resume begging. Each beggar has designated areas for their activities, which helps prevent conflicts among them, an officer said. “We have not found any syndicate operating behind the beggars so far. However, the presence of a gang cannot be ruled out,” said a policeman accompanying the static team. Police personnel are deployed with the teams to ensure their safety.