Nagpur: Aimed at making Nagpur a beggar-free city, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has opened Beggars Shelter Home under Central Government sponsored Comprehensive Beggars Rehabilitation Project.
The Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Radhakrishnan B, after the inauguration, asserted that it is an important step towards making the city beggar-free. He said that through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, have rolled out the project of Beggars Shelter Home on pilot basis in the city.
NMC, earlier, carried out a survey of beggars and counted 1,601 of them at various places like Railway Station, Bus Stand, Meetha Neem Dargah, Rajabaksha Hanuman Temple, Shani Temple, Yeshwant Stadium. Six beggar rehabilitation centres will be set up in the city where they will be imparted training in livelihood skills to make them self-reliant. In the first phase, out of 1,601 beggars, 150 would be brought into the mainstream of the society.
The beggars will be kept in this shelter for 6 months. During the period, they will be given the necessary employment training to bring them into the mainstream of the society, their counselling, health care treatment, overall food, clothing, medicine, makeover, employment facilities, training etc. will be provided, the Municipal Commissioner added.