Lok Sabha Question No. 5125 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: SMILE Scheme
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal

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

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5125 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2026

## SMILE SCHEME

## 5125. SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

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

- (a) the total number of people rehabilitated under the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme since its inception, year-wise and State/UT-wise;
- (b) the number of women; children; people from STISC/OBC/PwD communities rehabilitated under the said scheme since its inception, year and State/UT-wise, especially in Bihar;
- the number of people who were provided education and skill development training under the said scheme since its inception, year and State/UT-wise including Bihar;
- funds allocated and utilized under the   said scheme, since its   inception, StateMUTwise; and
- (e) whether any city has achieved to be completely beggar-free under the SMILE scheme, if S0, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI BL:VERMA)

- (a) & (b): Since  inception of the SMILE    (Support for   Marginalized   Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) sub-scheme *Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in the Act of Begging" that is 23.10.2023,a total of 31,055 persons have been identified as engaged in the act of  begging; out of which  9,855   persons have been   rescued and rehabilitated under the sub-scheme. Year-wise and StateMUT-wise details of rehabilitation; including that of Bihar; are placed at Annexure I & II: Category-wise such as SCISTIOBCIPwD data regarding rehabilitation is not maintained by the Ministry.
- (c)= Under the SMILE-Beggary sub-scheme, beneficiaries are provided skill development and livelihood opportunities through a convergence approach with various Central and State Government programmes. All eligible persons have been provided skill training based on local demand and aptitude in trades such as carpentry, tailoring, cooking, gardening, security services, sanitation work, e-rickshaw driving and other vocational activities Formation of community Self Help Groups (SHGs) establishing linkages with banks for financial assistance for income generation activities are also supported under the sub-scheme. and
- (d): The SMILE-Beggary sub-scheme is implemented in selected cities across the country; and accordingly, no StatelUT-wise allocation of fund is made. The State/UT-wise details of funds released and utilized under the said scheme, since its inception, is at Annexure-III:
- (e): No city has officially declared itself to be "beggar-free' under the SMILE ~Beggary sub-scheme so far:

| S.No.   | States/UTs            | Male   |   Female | Transgender persons   | Children   | Total   |
|---------|-----------------------|--------|----------|-----------------------|------------|---------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh        | 330    |       70 | 47                    | 187        | 634     |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh     | 50     |       12 |                       | 37         | 99      |
| 3       | Assam                 | 128    |       83 | 9                     | 74         | 294     |
| 4       | Bihar                 | 184    |      180 | 11                    |            | 375     |
| 5       | IChandigarh (UT)      |        |       39 | 0                     | 313        | 352     |
| 6       | Gujarat               | 160    |       36 | 0                     | 152        | 348     |
| 7       | Himachal Pradesh      |        |        0 | 0                     |            |         |
| 8       | JJammu & Kashmir (UT) | 344    |       90 |                       | 28         | 462     |
|         | Karnataka             | 37     |       18 | 8                     | 25         | 88      |
| 10      | Kerala                | 114    |        6 | 3                     | 13         | 136     |
| 11      | MMadhya Pradesh       | 639    |      496 | 0                     | 156        | 1291    |
| 12      | Odisha                | 29     |       15 |                       | 30         | 74      |
| 13      | PPuducherry (UT)      | 129    |       40 |                       |            | 176     |
| 14      | [Punjab               | 0      |        0 |                       | 6          | 6       |
| 15      | Tamil Nadu            | 658    |      517 | 328                   | 33         | 1536    |
| 16      | Telangana             | 45     |        5 |                       | 3          | 53      |
| 17      | Uttar Pradesh         | 19     |        3 |                       | 555        | 577     |
| Total   | Total                 | 2866   |     1610 | 406                   | 1620       | 6502    |

## of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question

| S No.   | States[UTs      | Male   | Female   | Transgender persons   | Children   |   Total |
|---------|-----------------|--------|----------|-----------------------|------------|---------|
|         | Andhra Pradesh  |        |          | 19                    |            |      19 |
| 2       | Assam           | 110    | 187      |                       | 14         |     311 |
| 3       | Delhi NCT (UT)  | 81     | 49       |                       | 233        |     372 |
| 4       | Gujarat         | 64     | 33       | 0                     | 8          |     105 |
| 5       | J & K (UT)      |        |          |                       | 48         |      48 |
| 6       | Kerala          | 715    | 19       | 125                   | 208        |    1067 |
| 7       | Nagaland        | 15     | 7        |                       |            |      22 |
| 8       | Odisha          | 75     | 67       |                       | 72         |     214 |
| 9       | Puducherry (UT) |        | 0        | 2                     |            |       2 |
| 10      | Tamil Nadu      |        |          | 54                    |            |      54 |
| 11      | Uttar Pradesh   | 539    | 323      | 0                     | 277        |    1139 |
| Total   | Total           | 1599   | 685      | 209                   | 860        |    3353 |

## of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No:

| S . No:   | StatelUT          |   Total Release in lakh) |   Fund Utilized ( in lakh) |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1_        | Andhra Pradesh    |                   139.13 |                      28.6  |
| 2_        | Arunachal Pradesh |                    45.44 |                      21.09 |
| 3_        | Assam             |                   168.6  |                     124.77 |
| 4         | Bihar             |                   145.39 |                       9    |
| 5_        | IChandigarh (UT)  |                    33.35 |                      33.35 |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh      |                    73.05 |                       0    |
| 7_        | Delhi NCT (UT)    |                   111.27 |                     111.27 |
| 8_        | Goa               |                     0    |                       0    |
| 9_        | Gujarat           |                   186.61 |                      86.15 |
| 10.       | Haryana           |                    55.82 |                       0    |
| 11.       | Himachal Pradesh  |                    62.22 |                      17.6  |
| 12        | Jammu & Kashmir   |                    80.17 |                      17.6  |
| 13.       | JJharkhand        |                    50.61 |                       0    |
| 14.       | Karnataka         |                   120.39 |                      19.6  |
| 15.       | Kerala            |                   186.59 |                      50.6  |
| 16.       | Ladakh (UT)       |                    14.61 |                       0    |
| 17.       | Madhya Pradesh    |                   157.37 |                      24    |
| 18.       | Maharashtra       |                    68.21 |                       9    |
| 19.       | Manipur           |                    62.57 |                      23.61 |
| 20_       | Meghalaya         |                    14.61 |                       0    |
| 21        | Mizoram           |                    23.61 |                      23.61 |
| 22        | Nagaland          |                    47.96 |                      33.35 |
| 23_       | Odisha            |                   108.32 |                      26.6  |
| 24        | PPuducherry (UT)  |                    80.91 |                      32.21 |
| 25.       | Punjab            |                    61.43 |                       0    |
| 26.       | Rajasthan         |                   132.26 |                       0    |
| 27.       | Sikkim            |                    14.61 |                       0    |
| 28        | Tamil Nadu        |                   414.26 |                     252.53 |
| 29.       | Telangana         |                    50.21 |                       0    |
| 30.       | Tripura           |                    14.61 |                       0    |
| 31.       | Uttar Pradesh     |                   203.43 |                      18    |
| 32        | Uttarakhand       |                    61.83 |                      18    |
| 33.       | West Bengal       |                    14.61 |                       0    |
|           | Total             |                  3004.06 |                     980.54 |

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