The government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has so far incorporated a number of initiatives to make the country free from beggars.
Bangladesh has undergone a revolution over the decades in poverty alleviation and consequently, the number of beggars and street children has also been reduced.
Nevertheless, beggary has still remained a matter of great concern. An unofficial data shows that currently, around 70,000 beggars live in the capital.
Begging is a social problem indeed and in Bangladesh, begging is embedded in its socio-cultural realities. What is more disgracing is that begging here is influenced by the religious sentiments of the society.
Beggars with an extending hand asking for alms are very common phenomena in the streets of the capital Dhaka and other cities of the country.
We are compelled to live in such an inhuman state of mind where we don’t even feel sad when we face beggars with a missing limb or holding an emaciated child on our lap. We frequently face such beggars the number of which has not so far been figured out exactly by any organization.
In the last few years, some certain areas in the capital have been freed from beggars-free but poverty, natural disaster, migration, river erosion, landlessness, physical disablement, and urbanization are the main factors that have pushed the number of beggars up in the country.
Therefore, authorities concerned should undertake necessary measures to rehabilitee them by involving them in different income-generating works. Also, NGOs, social workers and wealthy persons of the society should come forward to help those hapless beggars.
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The authority including social scientists should study and find out that how beggars can be turned into manpower. In this regard technical and vocational training can be highly effective.
Also we feel the necessity for generating social responsiveness for putting an end to such menace and we feel it is our moral and collective responsibility to involve the beggars in income-generating works.