The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P) has come up with a plan to fight the rising crime-wave by providing all beggars in the state with jobs. The state cabinet approved a plan to have a "beggar census" throughout the state and the "physically fit" ones will given employment with state’s construction agencies. The government terms beggars as "potential human resource" going waste.
After the cabinet discussed the issue at length, orders went out to district magistrates in charge of all major towns, asking them to start a census of beggars in their areas. Once identified, those who are found physically fit to work will be engaged as ‘unskilled labourers’ with government construction agencies. Those who are physically challenged would first be given aides to make their lives easy before they are trained in different vocations.
On being asked how the government had made this connection and reached the conclusion that they needed to be roped in for work, Neera Yadav, U.P Chief Secretary said, ‘‘Since they are not a part of the mainstream of society, it is understood that they indulge in anti-social activities.’’ Yadav admitted that government agencies like Rajkiya Nirman Nigam were facing shortage of manpower. So, the beggars who were physically fit could be taken in as unskilled labourers for construction work.
U.P is the most populous state in the Indian Union, with over 140 million people. However, it remains one of the most under-developed regions in the country with high rates of illiteracy and poverty. It is one the last regions in the world still inflicted with Polio. The state is ridden with corruption and a rising crime-graph. But, due to its size it becomes the "make or break" state during national elections. The crime-wave in the state is mostly due to corruption at all levels of government, with more criminal politicians than anywhere else in India. Therefore, it is highly moronic to blame beggars for the crime wave in the state. Hopefully, the government would actually go through with this plan, if not to cut down crime, but help the most destitute who turn towards begging to make a living.
June 23rd, 2005 at 9:59 am
Daily linklets 23rd June
If the censors won’t do it for you, ESWN explains the steps to keep information out of Chinese newspapers. The shanty town where petitioners to Beijing camp out. Dan Washburn’s new project, Shanghaiist, is getting ready for launch. Given Dan’s pedigre…
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:13 am
hmm… this is news to me and now I am really not sure (at least, for now) if this is the right step or just another way of attracting publicity.
What I find funny (and innovative also, in some ways) is that - having ‘failed’ to generate employment for the ‘educated’ folks, we are moving towards uneducated folks and have them as ‘unskilled labourers’.
On another tangent - I sometimes think that education, if not able to make a person smart enough, causes only more agony to the individual. They will not indulge in ‘unskilled’ work and are not able to get ’skilled’ work!
July 6th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Indeed it is just another political gimmick, another sad joke on the those who are privilidged
to commit only underprivilidged crime. Indeed crimes are of two kinds:privilidged and
underprivilidged. It is the politicians, beaurocrats and police who are the part of privilidged
crimes, which helps them multiply their wealth as well as powers. A recent state government
report (GB Patnaik’s) admits that the bureaucrats,politicians and police are often part of
criminal enterprises in the state. A comrehensive report on the nexus between Mafias,
politicians, bureaucrats and police was published in www.tehelka.com. Don Raj In UP: Govt.