Begging: An acute problem

We see too many beggars swarming in Dhaka city. Many of them are able to work but they have chosen this shameful vocation. They earn more money from begging than they can from working. Begging has become a matter of concern and an acute social problem. We can solve it if strong initiatives are taken to rehabilitate the beggars. We have come to know from various government agencies that the number of beggars in the capital and other major cities is no fewer than one million and the number is increasing day by day. Begging has become a socio-economic problem for our country.
The Bangladesh government had planned to eradicate begging by and by and an anti-begging bill was passed in our national parliament in 2009. But, unfortunately, no tangible attempt is seen to eradicate begging from our cities. The Ministry of Social Welfare along with different social organisations should play their roles to root out this problem. Rehabilitation programmes should be taken and implemented. Otherwise, any attempt taken by the authority to stop begging will not bring the desired result. Begging is surely derogatory to human beings and we should fight corruption so that abject poverty, the root cause of begging, gets reduced.
Masud Rana
Dhanmondi, Dhaka