Associated with the problems of poverty and unemployment is the problem of beggary which is a social problem of great magnitude and grave concern in developing countries. Begging is a problem for society in as much as a large number of beggars means non utilization of available human resources and drag upon the existing resources of the society.
According to a recent survey by Delhi School of Social Work there has been a phenomenal increase in the numbers of beggars in India. In a decade since 1991 their number has gone up by a lakh.There are some 60,000 beggars in Delhi, over 3, 00,000 in Mumbai according to a 2004 Action Aid report; nearly 75000 in Kolkata says the Beggar Research Institute; 56000 in Bangalore according to police records. In Hyderabad one in every 354 people is engaged in begging according to Council of Human Welfare in 2005.
It is common to find beggars at rubbish dumbs, road sides, and traffic lights and under flyovers. The frail, crippled and mentally ill share space with children, women and able bodied men. The line that separates beggars from the casual poor is getting slimmer in a country where one in every four goes to bed hungry every night and 78 million are homeless. Over 71% of Delhi's beggars are driven by poverty. More than 66% beggars are able -bodied. The survey reveals that begging as a livelihood wins over casual labour. For 96% the average daily income is Rs 80 more than what daily wage earners can make. Spending patterns also reveals a unique pattern: 27% beggars spend Rs 50-100 a day.
Mumbai is home to majority of beggars. According to the Maharashtra Government they are worth Rs. 180 crore a year with daily income ranging between Rs 20-80.Almost every survey profiles beggars as a largely contented lot unwilling to take up honest labour. Nearly 26% in the DSSW survey claimed they were happy.81% claimed that they do not face any problem during begging and only 15% mentioned humiliation from public and police. A survey done in 2004 by the Social Development Centre of Mumbai revealed similar attitude. The majority of beggars see it as a profitable and viable profession.
However study published in the International Journal of Psychological Rehabilitation by Dr Yogesh Thakker reveals that 39% of the 49 beggars surveyed in Gujarat's Baroda district by a group of medicos suffer from one or other psychiatric illness. Nearly 74% of them had a history of addiction, psychiatric illness in the family and poor attitude of family members towards them. Over 68% admitted to feeling of shame and losing self-esteem, 25% to guilt, 4% to suicidal tendencies and 8% to anti-social activities.
There is no proper enumeration of beggars in the country. Moreover the number of women and children is ever increasing. The 1931 census mentioned just 16% women beggars. The figure shot up to 49% in 2001.There are 10 million street children many among who beg for livelihood.
The biggest problem lies in the changing attitude towards beggars. According to Mr Upendra Baxi former vice-chancellor traditionally begging has been an accepted way of life in India. Giving alms to the needy was built into the social fabric. That changed with the colonial rule. To the Victorians beggary embodied laziness and moral degeneration. Colonial laws held a beggar punishable for his condition. The newly independent nation imbibed this attitude towards poverty. In the new millennium the Government doesn't want them lying around middle class regards them as a nuisance.
India's beggary laws are a throwback to the centuries old European vagrancy laws which instead of addressing the socio-economic issues make the poor criminally responsible for their position. The definition of beggar in law states as anyone who appears poor. The anti-beggar legislation is aimed at removing the poor from the face of the city. The beggars who have spent years on the street find it very difficult to live in confined space. There are provisions for vocational training in the government run beggar homes. But these are worse than the third rate jails where convicts can spend up to 10 years.
India as a nation needs to think for its begging population. With the nation aspiring to achieve world standards in every field socio-economic measures are needed to curb the begging problem in India. The solution calls for a comprehensive programme and reorientation of the existing programmes. Philanthropic approach to beggar problem should be replaced by therapeutic and rehabilitative work.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Female Foeticide in India
The 2001 census of India reveals a decline in the overall child sex ratio for the age-group 0-6 years from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.Contrary to the belief that the malaise is typical to rural ,backward areas, urban centers more literate and liberal have shown a drop from 935 in 1991 to 906 in 2001.
In Delhi, the national capital, the child sex ratio is an alarming 868.While the reasons for this vary from higher female mortality at a younger age as a result of neglect to infanticide and foeticide; the dismal numbers are a telling comment on the educated society that refuses to rid itself of its regressive male bias.
The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Regulations and Prevention of Misuse Act came into force in 1994 to curb selective sex determination. With rapid improvements in diagnostic technology the Act was amended in 2003 in order that it became more comprehensive and was renamed the Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act.
To monitor the implementation of the PC & PNDT Act, the ministry of Health and Family Welfare has set up a Central Supervisory Board as well as state-level supervisory committees. A ministry report indicates that there are 420 ongoing court/police cases for violations of the law. Of these only 65 cases relate to identification and revelation of the sex of the foetus, 43 are against people who have advertised facilities for sex selection and the rest are for non-registration of clinics/facilities.
Apart from the nature of the Act, government inaction in most cases is due to the fact that the patient, her family and the violators of the law are hand-in-glove. The Annual Report (2006) of the PC &PNDT division also identifies the non-availability of evidence or witnesses as the chief hindrance to implementing the law. The unscrupulous doctors and patients have developed their own sex determination code language to circumvent the law. For an instance if a doctor says collect the report on Monday the family is meant to infer that the unborn child is a boy. Friday connotes the girl child. Also signing a report in blue ink indicates a boy while red ink is meant for baby girls. The Annual Report mentions the fact the CMO or CS is usually not empowered enough to bring violators to book. Also abortions to limit family size add to the difficulty of nabbing guilty.
Despite the loopholes the government has exerted itself to advocate the girl child's right to live. A new website has been launched www.pndt.gov.in with the facility to file a complaint online against doctors, maternity homes and clinics. The organizations like Sonological Society of India are also supporting the government initiatives.
In Delhi, the national capital, the child sex ratio is an alarming 868.While the reasons for this vary from higher female mortality at a younger age as a result of neglect to infanticide and foeticide; the dismal numbers are a telling comment on the educated society that refuses to rid itself of its regressive male bias.
The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Regulations and Prevention of Misuse Act came into force in 1994 to curb selective sex determination. With rapid improvements in diagnostic technology the Act was amended in 2003 in order that it became more comprehensive and was renamed the Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act.
To monitor the implementation of the PC & PNDT Act, the ministry of Health and Family Welfare has set up a Central Supervisory Board as well as state-level supervisory committees. A ministry report indicates that there are 420 ongoing court/police cases for violations of the law. Of these only 65 cases relate to identification and revelation of the sex of the foetus, 43 are against people who have advertised facilities for sex selection and the rest are for non-registration of clinics/facilities.
Apart from the nature of the Act, government inaction in most cases is due to the fact that the patient, her family and the violators of the law are hand-in-glove. The Annual Report (2006) of the PC &PNDT division also identifies the non-availability of evidence or witnesses as the chief hindrance to implementing the law. The unscrupulous doctors and patients have developed their own sex determination code language to circumvent the law. For an instance if a doctor says collect the report on Monday the family is meant to infer that the unborn child is a boy. Friday connotes the girl child. Also signing a report in blue ink indicates a boy while red ink is meant for baby girls. The Annual Report mentions the fact the CMO or CS is usually not empowered enough to bring violators to book. Also abortions to limit family size add to the difficulty of nabbing guilty.
Despite the loopholes the government has exerted itself to advocate the girl child's right to live. A new website has been launched www.pndt.gov.in with the facility to file a complaint online against doctors, maternity homes and clinics. The organizations like Sonological Society of India are also supporting the government initiatives.
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