The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced significant progress under the SMILE (Beggary) scheme on 20 July 2026. Driven by the vision of a 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat' (Beggary-free India), the initiative is currently operational in 216 cities nationwide. The government has now set an ambitious target to expand the scheme to 295 cities by the financial year 2030-31. Aiming to comprehensively rehabilitate 35,000 individuals engaged in begging over the next five years, the scheme has already successfully reintegrated over 10,200 people, transforming India's approach from punitive action to welfare and skill development.
On 20 July 2026, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment released a comprehensive progress report and future roadmap for the SMILE scheme's beggary rehabilitation component. Currently operational in 216 cities, the government announced its roadmap to scale the initiative to 295 cities by the 2030-31 financial year. The ministry outlined a concrete target to identify, rescue, and rehabilitate 35,000 individuals engaged in begging, shifting them into productive livelihoods through targeted skill development.
The announcement was made in New Delhi on 20 July 2026. Geographically, the scheme is pan-India but strategically prioritizes metropolitan hubs, historical cities, major religious pilgrimage centres, and prominent tourist destinations where the incidence of beggary is highest.
Beggary in India is a complex socio-economic issue intertwined with poverty, distress migration, and human trafficking. The SMILE scheme matters because it represents a paradigm shift—treating beggary not as a criminal offense but as a vulnerability requiring welfare intervention. Economically, transitioning unskilled individuals into the formal workforce boosts demographic productivity. For competitive exams, this aligns directly with UPSC GS Paper 2 (Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population).
Historically, beggary in India was addressed through a punitive lens, heavily influenced by colonial-era vagrancy laws. The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, which criminalized begging, was adopted by most Indian states. However, in a landmark 2018 judgment (Harsh Mander case), the Delhi High Court struck down provisions of the Act, ruling that criminalizing begging violates Article 21 (Right to Life) as it punishes people for their poverty. This judicial push forced the government to shift toward rehabilitation, culminating in the formulation of the SMILE scheme.
In developed Western nations and Nordic countries, strong social security nets and "Housing First" approaches provide direct state-sponsored shelter and unemployment benefits to the homeless. In contrast, India's high population density, widespread poverty, and informal economy require a hybrid approach. The SMILE scheme attempts to blend the Western concept of immediate shelter provision with the Indian necessity of mandatory vocational skill integration to break the poverty cycle.
By expanding to 295 cities and rehabilitating 35,000 individuals by 2030-31, the scheme aims to completely eradicate beggary from India's major tourist and historical circuits. This will significantly improve India's global tourism image while dismantling organized trafficking syndicates that exploit child beggars. Furthermore, the mandatory skill training will create a sustainable, generational exit from extreme poverty for the beneficiaries.
Core Concept: SMILE Scheme and the Welfare of Marginalized Individuals
Q1. The 'SMILE' scheme, recently in the news for its target to cover 295 cities by 2030-31, primarily targets which of the following groups? [Easy]
A) Senior citizens and widows
B) Transgender persons and individuals engaged in begging
C) Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) only
D) Orphaned children in rural areas
Answer: B
Explanation: The SMILE scheme is an umbrella initiative specifically designed for the comprehensive rehabilitation of Transgender persons and individuals engaged in begging.
Q2. Under the 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat' initiative, what is the specific numerical target set by the government for rehabilitating beggars over the next five years (by 2030-31)? [Easy]
A) 10,000 individuals
B) 25,000 individuals
C) 35,000 individuals
D) 50,000 individuals
Answer: C
Explanation: According to the July 2026 Ministry update, the government aims to comprehensively rehabilitate 35,000 individuals engaged in begging by 2030-31.
Q3. What is the primary function of the 'SMILE-Beggary National Portal'? [Moderate]
A) To facilitate direct cash transfers to beggars via Jan Dhan accounts
B) To act as a digital platform for registration, tracking, and monitoring of rehabilitation centers
C) To crowdsource international funding from foreign NGOs
D) To allow citizens to file online police FIRs against beggars
Answer: B
Explanation: The portal is designed for the transparent registration, real-time tracking, and overall monitoring of the rehabilitation process and shelter homes.
Q4. In the acronym 'SMILE' launched by the Ministry of Social Justice, what does the letter 'E' stand for? [Moderate]
A) Employment
B) Empowerment
C) Enterprise
D) Education
Answer: C
Explanation: SMILE stands for "Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise".
Q5. The government's approach to eliminating beggary has shifted toward a welfare-based convergence model. Which of the following is NOT a pillar of this new approach under the SMILE scheme? [Moderate]
A) Identification and rescue via surveys
B) Immediate incarceration in district jails
C) Basic education and vocational skill development
D) Dignified societal and economic reintegration
Answer: B
Explanation: The SMILE scheme is built on rehabilitation and welfare. Incarceration belongs to the older, punitive legal frameworks which the government is moving away from.
Q6. Which category of funding does the SMILE scheme fall under? [Tricky]
A) Centrally Sponsored Scheme (60:40 ratio)
B) State Sector Scheme (100% state funded)
C) Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by the Union Government)
D) Externally Aided Project funded by the World Bank
Answer: C
Explanation: The SMILE scheme is a Central Sector Scheme, meaning the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment provides 100% of the funding.
Q7. Which historical legislation, heavily utilized by various states to criminalize begging, was notably reviewed and partially struck down by the Delhi High Court in 2018? [Tricky]
A) The Madras Prevention of Begging Act, 1945
B) The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959
C) The Bengal Beggary Abolition Act, 1961
D) The Delhi Anti-Begging Statute, 1970
Answer: B
Explanation: The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, was the primary framework used to criminalize begging across India until the Delhi HC ruled its punitive provisions unconstitutional.
Q8. According to the data released in July 2026, approximately how many individuals engaged in begging have already been successfully rehabilitated under the SMILE scheme? [Tricky]
A) 5,000
B) 10,200
C) 21,600
D) 35,000
Answer: B
Explanation: While 35,000 is the future target for 2030-31, official data states that over 10,200 individuals have been successfully rehabilitated to date.
PYQ 1:
Which Union Ministry is the nodal agency for the implementation of the SMILE scheme?
A) Ministry of Women and Child Development
B) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
C) Ministry of Home Affairs
D) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Answer: B
Explanation: The welfare and rehabilitation of marginalized groups, including transgender persons and beggars, fall under the mandate of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
PYQ 2:
Consider the following statements regarding the SMILE scheme:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3
Answer: B
Explanation: Statement 1 is incorrect because SMILE is an umbrella scheme covering all individuals engaged in begging as well as Transgender persons, not just women and children. Statements 2 and 3 are correct.
PYQ 3:
Assertion (A): The Government of India has transitioned from a punitive legislative approach to a welfare-based approach in addressing the issue of beggary.
Reason (R): High Courts have ruled that criminalizing begging, which is often driven by extreme poverty, is a violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C) A is true but R is false.
D) A is false but R is true.
Answer: A
Explanation: Both statements are correct. The shift towards welfare schemes like SMILE was heavily influenced by judicial pronouncements (like the 2018 Delhi HC ruling) which established that punishing poverty violates the fundamental right to live with dignity (Article 21).
Question 1 (150 words): Analyze the role of the SMILE scheme in achieving the objective of 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat'.
Beggary in India is a deeply entrenched socio-economic challenge driven by poverty, unemployment, and distress migration. The SMILE (Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme plays a transformative role in achieving a 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat' by shifting the state's response from punitive action to comprehensive welfare. Previously, anti-beggary laws criminalized the act, treating the poor as offenders. SMILE alters this by adopting a multi-pronged approach: identification, rescue, shelter provision, and crucial skill development. By targeting expansion to 295 cities and aiming to rehabilitate 35,000 individuals by 2030-31, the scheme operates on scale. With over 10,200 individuals already rehabilitated and monitored via the SMILE-Beggary National Portal, the scheme ensures that beneficiaries are not merely removed from the streets but are empowered with vocational skills to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and lead lives of dignity.
Question 2 (250 words): Why is it necessary to treat beggary as a socio-economic issue rather than a legal offense in India? Discuss how the SMILE scheme operationalizes this shift in perspective.
For decades, beggary in India was addressed through a draconian legal lens, primarily utilizing statutes like the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959. This punitive approach treated destitution as a crime, leading to the arbitrary arrest and incarceration of the poorest citizens. However, treating beggary as a legal offense ignores its root causes: systemic poverty, lack of employment, and lack of social security nets. Furthermore, landmark judicial interventions, such as the 2018 Delhi High Court ruling, clarified that criminalizing begging penalizes individuals for state failures and violates Article 21—the fundamental right to live with dignity. Therefore, a shift toward a socio-economic, rehabilitative approach was constitutionally and morally imperative.
The SMILE scheme operationalizes this crucial shift. As a 100% centrally funded initiative, it replaces the threat of jail with the promise of rehabilitation. The scheme operates systematically through municipal surveys, rescuing vulnerable individuals, and placing them in safe shelter homes. Crucially, it goes beyond basic charity by integrating psychological counseling and vocational training (via platforms like PM-DAKSH) to ensure economic empowerment. The scheme’s scale is massive, targeting 295 cities and aiming to reintegrate 35,000 individuals into the formal economy by 2030-31. Already recording over 10,200 successful rehabilitations monitored through the SMILE-Beggary National Portal, the scheme proves that addressing the economic vulnerabilities of marginalized groups, rather than criminalizing their survival mechanisms, is the only sustainable path to a 'Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat'.