Lok Sabha Question No. 1951 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Shelter for Beggars
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1951 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2025

## SHELTER FOR BEGGARS

## +1951. SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken to raise awareness about social justice issues and promote a culture of inclusiveness and respect for diversity in society;
- (b) the progress made in implementing the National Action Plan to reduce the demand of narcotic drug;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to prevent drug trafficking and control the supply of illicit drugs in the country;
- (d) the initiatives taken by the Government to promote access to education, employment, healthcare and legal recognition and welfare and rehabilitation of transgender persons in the country; and
- (e) the steps taken to address the issue of begging and provide shelter, rehabilitation and livelihood opportunities to beggars?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

- (a): Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Department for the overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes for the development of Scheduled Castes, Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, Denotified Tribes; Economically Backward Classes, Safai Karamcharis, Substance users, Manual Scavengers and Senior Citizens.

To raise awareness about social justice issues and promote inclusivity, the Department of Social Justice holds public awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, utilizing social media platforms, collaborating with NGOs, implementing targeted schemes for marginalized communities, and by legislation that safeguards the rights of diverse groups within society.

- (b): The details of progress made in implementing the National Action Plan to reduce the demand of narcotic drug is at Annexure-I.

(c): Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that significant steps have been taken to prevent drug trafficking and control the supply of illicit drugs in the country. The details of the same are listed at Annexure-II. Criminal cases registered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and quantity of drugs and Psychotropic substances seized during last five years is as under:-

Details of Quantity Seized and Cases registered by all Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs)

| Sr. No   |   Year | Total Quantity seized (In Kilogram)   | Total Cases   |
|----------|--------|---------------------------------------|---------------|
|          |   2020 | 10,82,511                             | 55,622        |
| 2        |   2021 | 16,09,612                             | 68,144        |
| 3        |   2022 | 12,53,662                             | 1,02,769      |
| 4        |   2023 | 13,89,725                             | 1,09,546      |
| 5        |   2024 | 13,30,600                             | 89,913        |

(d): The details of initiatives taken by the Government to promote access to education, employment, healthcare and legal recognition and welfare and rehabilitation of transgender persons in the country is at Annexure-III.

(e): The Ministry has formulated a Central Sector Scheme, "SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise," which includes the sub-scheme "Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging." This Scheme is currently being implemented in cities of historical, religious, or tourist significance. Its key components include the survey and identification of individuals engaged in begging, their rescue and relocation to shelter homes, and comprehensive rehabilitation through skill development and vocational training, in convergence with existing Central and State Government Schemes.

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## Reply to point (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1951 on "Shelter for Beggars" for 11.03.2025

The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment is the nodal Department for drug demand reduction in the country. To tackle the issue of substance use, this Department is implementing National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), a centrally sponsored scheme under which financial assistance is provided to:

i. State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Programmes for Drug Demand Reduction by States/UTs etc.

ii. NGOs/ VOs for running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs), Community based peer Led intervention (CPLI) for early Drug Use Prevention among Adolescents, Outreach and Drop In Centres (ODIC) and District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs); and iii. Government Hospitals for Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFS)

## 2. The following activities have been undertaken under NAPDDR scheme:

i. Currently, the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment is providing financial assistance to 350 IRCAs, 46 CPLIs, 74 ODICs, 124 DDACs and 142 ATFs. All of these facilities have been geo-tagged for ease of access to those in need.

ii. A Toll-free Helpline for de-addiction, '14446' is being maintained by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment for providing primary counseling and immediate referral services to the persons seeking help through this helpline. 4+ lakh calls have been received, so far on the helpline number.

iii. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was launched on 15th August 2020 by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment in 272 identified most vulnerable districts and now it has been extended to all districts of the country. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan intends to reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with focus on higher educational Institutions, university campuses & schools.

iv. Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 14.79+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 4.96+ Crore Youth and 2.97+ Crore Women. Participation of 4.16+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.

v. MoUs have been signed with Spiritual organizations like The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Sant Nirankari Mission, ISKCON, Shri Ram Chandra Mission and All World Gayatri Pariwar to support NMBA and conduct mass awareness activities.

vi. Awareness is also being spread through official Social Media accounts of the Abhiyaan on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

vii. NMBA Website (http://nmba.dosje.gov.in) provides detailed information and insights to the user/viewer about the Abhiyaan, an online discussion forum, NMBA dashboard, e-pledge.

viii. A mass pledge/ oath on NMBA was conducted on 12th August, 2024 and a total of about 3+ crore people from 2+ lakh institutions participated in the nationwide pledge.

## ANNEXURE-II

Reply to point (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1951 on "Shelter for Beggars" for 11.03.2025

- i. A dedicated Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) headed by ADG/ IG level Police Officer has been constituted in all States/ UTs of the country, where Special DGP is acting as ANTF Chief in the State.
- ii. Increased coordination and sharing of intelligence in real time with various Drug Law Enforcement Agencies of the Centre like Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) etc...

iii. Financial assistance is provided to eligible States for strengthening their anti-narcotics units under the scheme "Assistance to States & UTs".

iv. As part of Drug Awareness Programme, Power Point Presentation compiling information on drug abuse and its health and economic costs useful for teachers, students and parents has been shared with all District Magistrates/Collectors of the Country for conducting awareness programmes in the schools/ colleges falling in their jurisdiction.

- v. Intelligence Sharing and Controlled Delivery (CD) Operations within India and with foreign countries are being carried out regularly.
- vi. Intensive preventive and interdiction efforts are taken along drug routes.

vii. A National Narcotics Helpline "Madak-Padarth Nished Asoochna Kendra" (MANAS) was created as a 24x7, toll-free National Narcotics Call Centre. Accordingly MANAS has been envisioned as an integrated system providing a single platform for citizens to log, register, track and resolve drug related issues/problems through various mode of communications like call, SMS, Chat-bot, e-mail & web-link.

Reply to point (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1951 on "Shelter for Beggars" for 11.03.2025

- i. "The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019" has been enacted. The Act provides a clear definition of Transgender persons and recognizes a person's right to self-perceived gender identity. It mandated the formulation of welfare schemes and programmes that are transgender sensitive and non-stigmatizing, ensuring their dignified and respectable place in the society, along with provisions for nondiscrimination in educational institutions and employment, providing healthcare services and several welfare measures. The Department has enacted "The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights), Rules, 2020" for implementation of the provisions of the Act.
- ii. A National Council for Transgender Persons was set up to advise the Central Government on the formulation of policies and legislation with respect to Transgender persons, monitor and evaluate the impact of policies designed for achieving equality and full participation, review and coordinate the activities of all the Departments of the Government and non-Governmental organisations.
- iii. A scheme, Support for Marginalized Individual for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) with sub-component "Central sector scheme for comprehensive rehabilitation for welfare of transgender persons" is being implemented. This scheme has various components for welfare of transgender persons namely Skill Development and Livelihood, Composite Medical Health, Safe shelters in the form of Garima Grehs, National Portal for Transgender persons through which Transgender certificates are issued, Provision of Transgender Protection Cell and other welfare measures.
- iv. MoU with National Health Authority (NHA) for convergence with Ayushman Bharat scheme of NHA has been done for providing health facilities under PMJAY scheme to Transgender persons.
5. Department has set up 18 Garima Grehs, shelter homes for destitute transgender persons in 15 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (2) and Maharashtra (3).
- vi. National Portal for Transgender Persons has been launched to issue Transgender certificates and ID cards to eligible Transgender persons. This is an end to end online process where the applicant can apply for the TG certificate and also download the certificate after issue without any requirement to go to any office of issue. This portal has more than 71 Lakh visitors and as of now, 25,809 certificates have been issued.
- vil. So far, 13 Transgender Protection Cells are setup by States/UTs of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Andaman & Nicobar, Sikkim, Punjab, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
- vill. As of now 20 Transgender Welfare Boards (TWB) have been setup by States/UTs of Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Andaman & Nicobar.

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- Department has issued "Equal Opportunities Policy for Transgender Persons" to ensure that the Transgender community has equal access to employment opportunities etc.
- x. Skill development training to transgender persons is being provided through various Sectoral Skill Councils etc. and training provided to 725 members during 2024-25.
- xi. Department through its autonomous body National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) conducts for regular awareness generation and sensitization sessions for Transgender Persons and other stakeholders.

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