SMILE Scheme Aims for Beggary-Free India Through Comprehensive Rehabilitation

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has reiterated that the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme is strengthening India’s commitment towards a ‘Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat’ through a strategy centred on comprehensive rehabilitation (PIB). The statement frames the initiative as a structured policy response that moves beyond punitive approaches to address the root causes of destitution.

Launched by the Ministry, the scheme targets persons engaged in begging with a bundle of welfare provisions, skill development programmes, and livelihood support (PIB). By design, the intervention seeks to replace criminalisation with economic inclusion, offering a pathway out of the cycle of poverty that drives the practice. The government’s emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment marks a distinct shift in the administrative posture toward a long-standing social challenge.

The vision of a begging-free India, encapsulated in the term ‘Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat’, serves as the scheme’s guiding objective. While the Ministry’s release affirms the framework and intent, it does not specify the current coverage, budgetary allocation, or measurable outcomes achieved since the scheme’s inception. Those metrics remain the primary benchmarks against which the policy’s effectiveness will ultimately be assessed.