Spot a beggar in Hyderabad, inform, get Rs 500 as reward: Telangana Prison Department

Telangana Prison department is all set to act like a Santa during this Christmas but not so secretly. The prison department has launched a drive to make Hyderabad a beggar-free city and have asked the residents to inform them when they spot a beggar on the street and a reward of Rs 500 will be given on Christmas eve.

The prison department of the state plans to lift the beggars from the city's streets and shift them to a shelter home called "Anand Ashram", which is an enclosure beside Chanchalaguda central prison in the outskirt of the city.

So all the residents have to do is 'locate', 'inform' and 'win rewards', the prison department said.

The drive had started in the month of October but was briefly stopped during the visit of Ivanka Trump. Now from December 1, it has started again with full swing and aims to clear all beggars from the roads of Hyderabad.

According to the prison department chief VK Singh (DG Prisons and CS), "the department has oriented itself into a high-end social service organisation as it takes care of the last rung of the society i.e. beggars". 

At Anand Ashram, currently, 55 male and 24 female beggars are staying while the department had actually lifted 316 male and 144 female beggars. Later, 261 male and 140 female beggars were released after they signed an undertaking from stating that they will not resort to begging again.

"We are hopeful that we will make Hyderabad city beggar-free by December 20, 2017. We intend to declare reward of Rs 500 for any information about beggars on the eve of Christmas", said VK Singh.

The department has launched two numbers 040-24511791/040-24527846 where people can inform about any beggars roaming on the streets.

Earlier in November, during the drive, authorities had witnessed riches to rags stories after they lifted 235 male and over 130 women including 50 year-old-Farzana, an MBA graduate, and 44-year-old Basherra, a green card holder. Farzana and Basherra, both natives of Hyderabad, were caught begging near a Dargah in Langer Houz along with 30 other women and were shifted to Anand Ashram on November 11.

The prison department will take care of the rehabilitation of beggars. Similar to the measures taken for the rehabilitation of prison inmates, the beggars will be given skill development training and jobs according to the qualification of those kept in Anand Ashram.

The department has also decided to take care of ill patients who were forced to beg because of their physical inabilities.

Meanwhile, the social media is abuzz with the offer of the prison department and users think that many residents will surely become rich even if Hyderabad does not become beggar-free by December 20.