🗞️ Why in News The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has strengthened the rehabilitation framework under its SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme’s Beggary sub-component, expanding shelter, skilling and family-reunification support for persons engaged in begging.
What the Scheme Covers
The SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme, launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on February 12, 2022, funds two distinct sub-components under one umbrella: a transgender welfare sub-scheme, whose shelter network is branded Garima Greh (21 homes operational across 17 states), and a separate Beggary sub-scheme, which funds identification, shelter-based rehabilitation, skilling, education, healthcare access and family-reunification support for persons engaged in begging through dedicated rehabilitation centres in identified cities, distinct from the Garima Greh network. As of the latest government figures, nearly 10,000 persons have been rehabilitated under the Beggary sub-scheme. The scheme targets rehabilitating 35,000 persons and expanding geographic coverage from the current 216 cities to 295 cities by FY 2030-31.
From Criminalisation to Rights-Based Rehabilitation
For decades, begging in India was treated primarily as an offence under state-level anti-begging laws modelled on the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, which several states adopted or adapted, empowering police to detain persons found begging and commit them to certified institutions. This criminalisation framework has been increasingly challenged in Indian courts: various High Courts have struck down or read down provisions criminalising begging, holding that begging is often a symptom of poverty, destitution or disability rather than a voluntary offence, and that criminalising it violates the dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. SMILE-Beggary represents the Union government’s welfare-scheme response to this shift, treating persons engaged in begging as a population requiring social support and reintegration rather than punishment.
The Constitutional and Policy Anchor
The scheme’s rehabilitative approach aligns with Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State Policy, which directs the state to make effective provision for public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement, and undeserved want, within the limits of its economic capacity. It also converges with Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty), positioning the scheme within India’s broader social-protection architecture alongside programmes for the homeless, elderly and persons with disabilities.
Implementation Gaps to Watch
While shelter and skilling infrastructure has expanded, sustained rehabilitation of a historically marginalised and often transient population, one lacking documentation, stable addresses or family contact in many cases, remains a persistent administrative challenge. Family-reunification efforts depend on tracing origins that may span state lines, and skilling outcomes are only meaningful if paired with genuine livelihood or employment access after a person exits a rehabilitation centre, an outcome metric that receives less public reporting than shelter-capacity or identification figures.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; the shift from criminalisation to rights-based rehabilitation in social policy; Article 21 (right to life and dignity) and Article 41 (DPSP, right to public assistance); Centre-state coordination in implementing centrally sponsored welfare schemes.
Mains angle: “Begging has historically been treated as a criminal offence in India, though this framing is increasingly being displaced by rights-based rehabilitation. Discuss with reference to the SMILE-Beggary sub-scheme and constitutional principles of dignity.” (250 words)
Prelims focus: SMILE’s launch date (February 12, 2022); the nodal ministry (Social Justice and Empowerment); the distinction between the transgender sub-scheme’s Garima Greh shelters and the separate Beggary sub-scheme; the coverage target (295 cities by FY 2030-31).
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
SMILE-Beggary Sub-Scheme:
- SMILE umbrella scheme launched: February 12, 2022; nodal ministry: Social Justice and Empowerment
- Rehabilitation via dedicated centres in identified cities, distinct from Garima Grehs (the transgender sub-scheme’s 21 shelter homes across 17 states)
- Nearly 10,000 persons rehabilitated so far under the Beggary sub-scheme
- Target: 35,000 persons rehabilitated; coverage expanding from 216 to 295 cities by FY 2030-31
Constitutional Anchors:
- Article 21 (dignity, right to life); Article 41 (DPSP, public assistance)
- Aligned with SDG 1 (No Poverty)
Sources: PIB, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Source: Government Strengthens SMILE Framework for Rehabilitating Persons Engaged in Begging — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
