Mumbai: When citizens think twice before handing out money to beggars, the government seems to do the same. After 61 years, Maharashtra’s state government has hiked the emoluments paid to beggars housed in state-run beggars’ homes — from a paltry ₹5 per month to ₹40 per day. This long-overdue raise may partly explain why these 14 beggars’ homes now house just 350 inmates against a total capacity of over 4,000.
According to the rules under the Mumbai Prohibition of Begging Act, 1959, any physically fit beggar is required to perform an eight-hour workday in these homes as part of their rehabilitation. For decades, the compensation for this labour remained unchanged — ₹5 per month — until the state cabinet finally decided to revise it to ₹40 per day in late April. The new rate is expected to come into effect soon after an official notification is issued.
The original ₹5 rate was fixed in 1964, when the rules were formally notified. “The idea was to train beggars in various skills so they could earn a livelihood post-release,” said a senior government official. “But with such an insulting wage, it’s no surprise that only 350 beggars are housed in these homes despite a total capacity of 4,220. The largest facility, a men’s home in Chembur, can accommodate 850 individuals but currently houses just 86.
Its adjacent women’s facility, with a capacity of 550, shelters only 36. In Ahilyanagar district, which has four beggars’ homes with space for 1,430, only 72 inmates are present. The situation is similar in homes across Satara, Solapur, Nagpur, and other areas. Once admitted, inmates are provided shelter, food, clothing, and basic employment in areas such as tailoring, weaving, farming, carpentry, laundry, and the production of ropes, candles, and brooms.
The intention, said the official, is to foster self-reliance — but the dismal compensation may be keeping potential inmates away. Still, despite the sparse population, annual revenue from agricultural and vocational work in these homes ranges between ₹3 and ₹lakh. Interestingly, while only around 350 beggars currently reside in these homes, police round up nearly 3,000 beggars annually, of whom roughly 1,000 are sent to these facilities.
