| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | National Workshop on SMILE-B organized by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) in Indore. |
| Scheme Name | SMILE-B (Sub-scheme of SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise). |
| Objective | Comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging, aiming for 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat' (Begging-Free India). |
| Implementation Status | - 81 cities/towns covered as of December 2024 (pilgrimage, historical, tourist spots). - Expansion planned to 50 more cities. |
| Rehabilitation Data | - 9,958 individuals identified as engaged in begging (as of April 2025). - 970 individuals successfully rehabilitated. |
| Workshop Focus | Rescue operations, primary rehabilitation, livelihood convergence; attended by State nodal officers, ULBs, NGOs, Civil Society Groups. |
| Rehabilitation Strategy | - Identification & outreach by local bodies. - Empathetic engagement, profiling via photo/video documentation. - Support from NGOs, SHGs, Temple Trusts for counselling, education, reintegration. |
| Begging Statistics | - Census 2011: 4.13 lakh beggars in India; highest in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, MP. - SECC 2011: 6.62 lakh rural households dependent on begging. |
| Legal Status | - Vagrancy (beggary) in Concurrent List (Entry 15, List III). - No central law; Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 is the primary law (criminalizes begging). |
| Notable Achievement | Indore (MP) declared India's first beggar-free city under the initiative. |
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