Humane Transformation

Already crowned India’s cleanest city, Indore has embarked on another transformative mission—Bhikshavritti Unmulan Abhiyan, or the Beggar-Free Indore Campaign. The man behind this mission is the one who quite literally cleaned the city in his capacity as Municipal Commissioner. Yes, Asheesh is back in the city. This time as the Collector of Indore district where he once again wants to leave an impact. This ambitious, multi-phase social reform is a landmark in urban welfare, aiming to eradicate street begging through a humane, structured, and technology-backed approach. At its core, it ensures dignity, opportunity, and reintegration for society’s most marginalised groups.

The Need for Change

Like many Indian cities, Indore had long grappled with the visible and growing problem of street begging. Vulnerable groups—including children, the elderly, women, and persons with disabilities—were frequently seen at intersections, markets, and temples. Many were victims of poverty, neglect, or trapped in the exploitative web of organised begging rackets.

Despite various government welfare schemes, fragmented efforts failed to yield sustainable results. Recognising this, the district administration—under the leadership of Collector Asheesh Singh, IAS, widely acknowledged for driving Indore’s Swachhata success—launched a city-wide, coordinated mission to address the issue systemically.

Three-Phase Strategy to Make Indore Beggar-Free

The campaign was rolled out in three structured phases, each building on the last to ensure sustainability:

Phase 1: Public Awareness and Outreach

(February 2024 – September 2024)

This phase focused on changing public behaviour and building awareness. Citizens, business owners, schools, and community groups were sensitised to the legal and ethical implications of giving alms. Tools included street plays, digital campaigns, slogans, school activities, and mass outreach, urging people to offer help through institutions, not handouts.

Phase 2: Rescue and Rehabilitation

(September 2024 – February 2025)

Special rescue teams—comprising municipal officials, police, NGOs, and volunteers—were deployed across identified hot-spots. Rescued individuals were provided shelter, medical aid, counseling, and vocational training. Children were moved to Child Care Institutions, women to safe housing with livelihood support, and adults received personalised rehabilitation plans.

Phase 3: Public Cooperation and Enforcement

(From February 2025 onwards – Ongoing)

This phase emphasises long-term sustainability through community participation and legal enforcement. A significant legal innovation was the enforcement of Section 163 of the BNS Act, which criminalised both begging and alms-giving. This created a deterrent environment while ensuring that penal action was balanced with compassion.

Citizens are encouraged to report begging cases via digital platforms and are rewarded for successful rehabilitation referrals. Repeat offenders and organised rackets face legal action, while the campaign continues to prioritise compassion and reintegration.

Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration Framework

The campaign operates on three pillars:

Rescue: Real-time identification using CCTV, ITMS, and citizen reports, followed by swift intervention.

Rehabilitation: Includes medical care, behavioural counselling, and skill training.

Reintegration: Employment support, long-term housing, and family reunification.

Community Involvement and Incentive Models

Public engagement was central to the campaign’s success, led by initiatives like:

✼ Give Education, Not Alms

✼ Don’t Teach Begging to Children

✼ Giving Alms is a Crime

More than 1,000 citizens were awarded Rs 1,000 each for reporting individuals who were later rehabilitated. Activities included street plays (nukkad nataks), awareness rallies, and volunteer programmes.

Use of Technology

✼ The Indore 311 App and helpline enabled real-time reporting.

✼ Smart City Command Centre used integrated CCTV to monitor hot-spots.

✼ Rescue response time was often under 30 minutes, enabled via WhatsApp and mobile coordination.

✼ Future plans include AI-powered surveillance to detect and flag habitual begging automatically.

The impact is visible:

As of June 2025:

✼ Total beggars rescued: 1,125

✼ Rehabilitated: approximately 800

✼ Children rescued: 115 (all placed in institutions)

✼ Estimated beggar population: approximately 6,500

✼ Counseled individuals: 4,500

✼ Residents at Sevadham Ashram (Ujjain): 200

✼ Children admitted to schools: 172

Shelter Facilities Utilised

✼ Pipliyahana Rain Basera

✼ Gadi Adda Rain Basera

✼ Palasia Rain Basera

✼ Sevadham Ashram, Ujjain

Institutional Coordination and Sustainability

The campaign brought together departments like the Municipal Corporation, Police, Women & Child Development, Smart City Office, and NGOs via SOPs, regular reviews, and joint interventions.

For long-term impact:

✼ Returnees are tracked and counselled.

✼ Awareness continues citywide.

SOPs/toolkits are being developed for replication across other cities, with Bhopal and Ujjain already in discussions.

Indore’s Beggar-Free Campaign is more than an initiative—it’s a blueprint for inclusive urban governance. By blending legal enforcement with compassion, and technology with human touch, Indore is rewriting the narrative on poverty alleviation. This campaign reaffirms a simple truth: meaningful change happens when an entire city decides to rise—together.

Asheesh Singh presents a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. The model that he is putting in place is replicable and scalable through public-private partnership in the true spirit of Nexus of Good. He has also demonstrated that civil servants can make-it-happen. It is basically a question of acceptance of the existence of a problem, understanding the underlying causes thereof, chalking out a workable action plan (not just ideas) and putting in place a team that can deliver. He also recognises both the strengths and limitations within which the government functions. Hence, the need for public-private partnership. The key question therefore is, if Ashish and his team can do it repeatedly, why can’t others? The answer apparently lies in understanding how the team approaches the problem and then use this approach elsewhere. However, without the desired attitude and commitment, it would be difficult to replicate what is being done in Indore, a city that makes us all proud on account of such visionary youngsters within civil service.

The writer is an author and a former civil servant. Views expressed are personal