Census on beggars to be conducted

12 Feb 2012 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The government is to conduct a census on beggars island-wide as they have identified a rise in beggars living in urban areas, the Ministry of Social Services said.

The National Institute for Social Development (NISD) will conduct the survey on behalf of the government. Following the census the Ministry also plans to integrate them in to the society and provide houses for the homeless.

One of the main objectives of the census is to identify the true beggars as some individuals pose as beggars to earn between Rs.250 to Rs.500 daily.

It is known that beggars come under different leaderships. The police said that there are ring leaders who instruct and take a share of the cash earned by the beggar.

A spokesman of the Ministry said that when development activities are taking place and when the country is moving ahead these areas should be solved immediately. “We have prepared an understudy on how we can add value to their lives and provide them with a house and even with minor jobs, which is better than begging in roads,” he said.

It was revealed that intra-clan rivalry had led to the death of a number beggars in Colombo and the suburbs last year. (Supun Dias)

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Census on beggars to be conducted

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