Intensifying their campaign against begging, the authorities in Hyderabad have offered a reward of Rs 500 for information about presence of a beggar.
This has come at a time when the police imposed ban on begging in the state capital of Telangana and picked up nearly 225 beggars from different places.
Prohibition on begging was announced as part of the preparations for the forthcoming visit of Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump to Hyderabad later this month.
Ivanka will be in Hyderabad to attend the inaugural session of Global Entrepreneurship Summit on November 28, being jointly hosted by the United States and India.
Authorities have launched a drive to round up the beggars and lodge them in two shelter homes "Ananda Ashram" in the premises of Chanchalguda jail and Charalapally jail in Hyderabad.
Going one step ahead the police officials have also offered a reward of Rs 500 to anybody who informs them about the presence of a beggar.
VK Singh, Telangana State Director General of police (prisons) said, "we will complete the clearing of beggars from the city roads by the end of the month. After that, if anybody gives the information about the presence of a beggar leading to his spotting he or she will be rewarded Rs 500. It will come into effect from December 1", he said. A control room was also set up to receive the information.
Hyderabad city police commissioner K Mahinder Reddy, who on Snday took the charge as the State police chief, had issued the notification last month prohibiting begging under the prevention of begging Act and Indian Penal code.
So far the officials of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have rounded up more than 200 beggars from the traffic junctions, bus and railway stations soon th drive will target the areas around temples and mosques, favoured haunt of the beggars.
Officials say that the drive against begging was launched in view of the forthcoming international events like GES, to be attended by delegates from several countries countries and World Telugu Conference.
A Non-Governmental Organisation — Amma Nanna Amanda Ashram, which runs the two shelter Homes, has out the total number of beggars in the city at 13,000. "50 per cent of them are in begging profession because of poverty but the other half are doing it to make easy money to spend on alcohol and drugs. A beggar makes Rs 900 or above in a day", said Gattu Giri, joint general secretary of the NGO.
With the launching of anti begging drive, many of the beggars have vanished from the city roads.
Of the 116 female beggars and 10 children lodged at Home at Charalapally jail 101 were handed over to their families.
Similarly authorities have also released 111 male beggars.
"We have taken their fingerprints and photos and an undertaking from them that if they again indulge in begging they can be arrested and sent to jail", said M Sampat, vice principal, State institute of correctional administration.
Interestingly, among the female beggars rounded up there were two highly educated ladies. One from Krishna district was a graduate and she was caught begging at Paradise junction while the other was another graduate from langar House in the city.
In another case a male beggar's family was shocked to hear from the police about his activities as he had told his family that he was working in a sweet shop.