Govt to rehabilitate 20,000 beggars over next five years

The government as set a target of rehabilitating 20,000 beggars in the country over the next five years till 2025-26 under the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme to make India ‘beggar free’, planning minister Rao Inderjit Singh said in response to a question in Lok Sabha.

The scheme is being implemented through the ministry of social justice & empowerment along with other implementing agencies including NGOs

The component of comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of begging under the above scheme provides for survey, identification, mobilization, rescue and shelter Home and comprehensive resettlement of beggars through educating, skilling and counselling to get in to decent jobs and lead normal life in the society


Hyperloop Technology
In a separate response, the minister of state for planning Rao Inderjit Singh said that NITI Aayog has constituted a committee under its member V K Saraswat to study the new emergent hyperloop transportation technology and explore its technological maturity, financial and commercial viability, safety standards and regulation.

According to a response in Lok Sabha, two focused groups or sub-committees have been formed. The first one to examine the technical feasibility and technological readiness (maturity level) of the hyperloop transportation system as a reliable, safe and robust alternative for future transport and the other on regulation of the technology to suggest suitable authority/ministry/agency for regulation, control, monitoring and development of this new emergent technology have been formed.

“The committee is engaging with all stakeholders for better understanding of all gamut of hyperloop technology,” he said.