Model Guidelines on Care, Rehabilitation and Management of Beggars’/Shelter Homes Unveiled at Chintan Shivir

• Model Guidelines unveiled by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) at the National Chintan Shivir, Chandigarh (24–26 April 2026) to standardise functioning of shelter homes for persons engaged in begging across States/UTs.
• Provides a comprehensive framework: Preventive Healthcare & Sanitation, Infrastructure & Capacity, Nutrition & Food Safety, Vocational Training & Rehabilitation, Legal Aid & Awareness, Child & Gender Sensitivity, Accountability & Oversight.
• Operationally linked to the SMILE — Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise umbrella scheme, especially its Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in the Act of Begging sub-scheme.
• UPSC relevance: GS-II (vulnerable sections, welfare schemes, federal implementation) and GS-I (urban poverty, social issues).