In the Indian state of Rajasthan, a new way to fight begging was invented. Created at the initiative of the authorities Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC) decided not to communicate with streets into crowded shelters, but to offer them training and help with subsequent guaranteed employment, writes The Guardian.
India has not yet found effective systemic methods to combat poverty and unemployment. Only episodic attempts are being taken, most often the poor are simply removed from the street before the arrival of high-ranking persons. Soon, the beggars are returned and everything remains still, because the reasons forcing them to bite them were not eliminated. The solution to the problem suggested RSLDC.
The organization has developed a four-month program in which only 100 men took part. Each of the participants of the program takes testing, during which knowledge, ability and inclinations are detected. Based on these data, RSLDC teaches people with one or another skills with subsequent employment. The wards receive shelter and food, as well as 230 rupees (228 rubles) a day – this small amount helps people who live in constant poverty, to gain self-esteem. From the first hundreds of the participants of the program 60 already work in cafes, bakeries and trade, the remaining 40 continue to study.
Two weeks before the start of teaching, men receive material and psychological support. “We provide them with psychological advice, yoga, football, meditation, nutritious food, clean beds and a good sleep. On the first day they take a shower, cut the disheveled hair and beard and erase clothes,” said Nyrja Pavan head. He especially emphasized the importance of counseling, without which many participants would leave her. Pavan is confident that it is necessary to feel in a difficult situation that their fate is not indifferent to someone.
The government plans to extend the program throughout the state, but it is not yet known whether its participants will receive jobs. A public figure and former civil servant Harsh Mandera critically responds to most government programs to combat begging. The activist draws attention that the authorities do not understand why some people continue to bite instead of working at 12 o’clock in the factory and get money for it, which only enough for survival. “In principle, the program seems not bad. But we must trace that such initiatives do not turn into a source of cheap workers who are not protected,” commented on Molder.
In 2021, Indian Institute For Human Development in 2021 held a survey in Delhi, according to which 80 percent of the mandatory alms want to find a job – their daily income on average is less than 200 rupees (198 rubles). Many agree to part-up when the opportunity appears to help their families.
Meanwhile, because of the coronavirus pandemic and its negative impact on the economy, tens of millions of Indians were beyond poverty. According to Pew Research Center, 75 million people in the country live a day for two dollars and less.