The hands that should hold books are forced to ask for coins
By Juhi Jain
Every day, at the busy traffic signals of Delhi and in streets across India, one heartbreaking scene repeats itself — small children knocking on car windows, women carrying infants in their arms, and elderly people sitting helplessly on footpaths asking for alms. This is not merely a social inconvenience; it is a mirror reflecting the painful realities of poverty, unemployment, exploitation, and administrative neglect.
Can a nation that dreams of becoming a global power afford to ignore such scenes in its capital and beyond?
Delhi, the heart of India, often becomes the face of the country for visitors from across the world. Yet the increasing presence of beggars at major intersections, markets, railway stations, and religious places raises a serious question about our collective responsibility. If the capital itself struggles with this issue, what message does it send about the condition of the nation?
The most distressing sight is that of small children. Their innocent faces and pleading eyes stir sympathy, but behind this emotional image often lies a darker reality — child exploitation, trafficking, forced begging, and organized begging rackets. A child belongs in a classroom, with books, dreams, and opportunities, not on the roadside begging for survival.
This problem cannot be blamed on one factor alone. Poverty, lack of education, migration, family breakdown, unemployment, and criminal exploitation all contribute to the rise in begging. However, it is equally true that many able-bodied adults, including some women and men who can work, continue to beg instead of seeking available opportunities for labour or skill-based work.
The question, therefore, is not merely who is responsible, but what must be done.
First, the government must launch stronger rehabilitation drives, especially in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, and other urban centres. Rescue operations for children should be regular and strict. Such children must be admitted to schools and child-care homes where they receive food, education, healthcare, and emotional support.
Second, strict legal action must be taken against begging mafias and traffickers who exploit vulnerable children and women for financial gain.
Third, employment and skill-development schemes should be expanded for adults. Many women can be trained in stitching, housekeeping, food preparation, small-scale business, and self-help groups. Men who are physically fit should be linked with daily wage work, sanitation drives, construction work, and other labour opportunities.
Finally, society must also change its attitude. Offering money at traffic signals may appear compassionate, but in many cases it unknowingly strengthens the cycle of begging. Instead, citizens should support shelters, NGOs, orphanages, and community kitchens.
A developed India cannot be built only with flyovers, malls, and digital progress. True development is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable members of society.
The time has come to ensure that no child sleeps hungry on the streets and no woman is forced to beg for survival.
The change must begin from Delhi — and spread across the nation.
