Jaipur: An anti-begging drive launched by the Jaipur Secretariat on Oct 9 to rehabilitate children and others engaged in begging at Rambagh Circle, JDA Circle and OTS Circle appears to be falling short of its objective, with such activities continuing at key intersections.On Friday, a 12-year-old girl was seen selling roses at Rambagh Circle, while a teenaged boy sold pens and tissue paper. At JDA Circle, adults accompanied by children were seen cleaning the window screens of vehicles that stopped at traffic signals in exchange for money. The drive is scheduled to continue until Oct 30.ADM (South) Yugantar Sharma said begging was mostly seen in the morning and evening, so teams are focusing their efforts during these hours. The drive also revealed that many people were reluctant to opt for rehabilitation, as they viewed begging and street vending as an easy way to earn money, he said.“Those who are begging out of compulsion and want to be rehabilitated into a life of dignity are easier to help. The challenge is dealing with those who do not want to change because they are comfortable with what they do,” Sharma said. “You will still spot them, even at the junctions that are undergoing the drive for this reason. This is a slow process and will take time for complete eradication,” he added.Officials are also trying to trace the source of the goods sold by children at traffic intersections. The items on sale frequently change, with children selling roses one week and pens or tissue paper the next, he said. However, progress on identifying suppliers has been slow as police personnel are currently occupied with election duty, Sharma added.An official from the social justice and empowerment department said that till now 117 individuals have been rescued and, of them, 48 have been rehabilitated into society. “We are planning to extend the drive beyond Oct 30 after seeing the positive results,” he said.
