Puri admin launches beggar rehab process

Bhubaneswar: The Puri administration on Tuesday started rehabilitating beggars from the pilgrim town. In the first phase, as many as 500 beggars have been sent to shelter homes called Niladri Nilaya from where they will be rehabilitated and efforts will be made to bring them back to the mainstream.
“Six Niladri Nilayas have been opened in the town, each with a capacity to accommodate 50 people. They will be provided free food and shelter. The mental and physical health of these people will be checked and after assessing their conditions, the next course of action will be taken,” said Prasanna Kumar Patra, an officer with the Puri municipality.
Official sources said many of these beggars are from outside the state, while some are physically and mentally challenged and have been abandoned by their family members in Puri. There are also leprosy patients and drug-addicted people.
“Begging is a complex thing. Many people are into begging due to circumstances, many after losing their mental balance while there are some who do it for their love for Lord Jagannath. So we have to first segregate them into different categories like elderly, physically and mentally challenged. We have been asked not to use force on anyone and counsel them to quit begging,” said Patra.
For those from outside the state, the district administration is trying to find their identity and address so they could be sent back to their families. There are also plans to provide them skill training as per their abilities so that they can be brought back to the mainstream. “But this will take time,” admitted one official source.
The state has as many as 5,950 full-time beggars with the highest (1060) in Cuttack district, followed by 545 in Ganjam, 485 in Mayurbhanj, 423 in Sundargarh, 366 in Puri, 344 in Balangir and only three in Deogarh, social security and empowerment of persons with disability (SSEPD) minister Ashok Chandra Panda had informed in the assembly.