SUPPORT FOR MARGINALIZED INDIVIDUALS FOR LIVELIHOOD AND ENTERPRISE (SMILE) SCHEME

1. At a Glance

Umbrella Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) consolidating welfare interventions for transgender persons and persons engaged in begging [S1][S3].
Launched 12 February 2022 by Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar; aims at identification, rescue, rehabilitation, shelter, skilling and livelihood for two of India's most marginalised groups [S3][S4].
UPSC relevance: directly maps to GS-II (welfare schemes for vulnerable sections) and frequent Prelims scheme-ministry pairing questions.

PIB release (11 Feb 2026): status update — 30,257 persons identified as engaged in begging and 8,129 rehabilitated across 181 cities; 23 Garima Grehs supported under the transgender sub-scheme [S1].
Continued push toward "Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat" (Begging-Free India) as the scheme nears the end of its 2021-22 to 2025-26 cycle [S1][S2].

Predecessor strands: Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) model and earlier pilot on beggary in select cities (2020) [S2].
2019: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act enacted — legal backbone for transgender welfare sub-scheme [S3].
Feb 2022: SMILE launched as a converged umbrella covering two Central Sector sub-schemes [S3].
Aug 2022: SMILE-75 Initiative rolled out — 75 municipal corporations tasked with making cities beggary-free in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year [S4].

Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% Central funding) [S1].
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment — Department of Social Justice & Empowerment [S1].
Two sub-schemes:
Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons.
Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in the Act of Begging [S3].
Total outlay: ₹365 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26 — ₹265 crore (transgender) + ₹100 crore (beggary) [S2].
Geographic scope (beggary): 181 selected cities [S1].
Garima Greh: shelter homes providing food, medical care, skill development to transgender persons — 23 supported as of Feb 2026 [S1].
Statutory anchor: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 & Rules, 2020 [S3].
Components: surveys, mobilisation/rescue, shelter, education, skilling, alternative livelihoods, SHGs [S3].

Social: Targets two stigmatised groups; reintegration into mainstream via education, healthcare, skilling; addresses Article 21 (dignity) and Article 23 concerns around forced begging [S1][S2].
Legal/Constitutional: Rests on NALSA v. Union of India (2014) recognising the third gender, and the 2019 Act; aligns with Articles 14, 15, 16, 21 [S3].
Administrative: Implemented through State Govts / UT Admins / ULBs / NGOs; convergence with Smart Cities, NULM, Ayushman Bharat for shelter and health [S2][S4].
Ethical/Governance: Shift from criminalisation of begging (most state Beggary Acts) to rehabilitative approach — aligns with SC observations against criminalising poverty (Harsh Mander v. UoI, 2018) [S2].
Economic: SHG formation, vocational training and stipend support seek livelihood-led de-stigmatisation rather than mere doles [S3].

11 Feb 2026 PIB: 30,257 identified, 8,129 rehabilitated; 23 Garima Grehs supported [S1].
April 2025: ₹6.8 crore reportedly released/utilised by Garima Grehs [S2].
Aug 2025: 3 additional Garima Grehs sanctioned, taking operational count to 21 across 17 States [S2].
Continued expansion of beggary sub-scheme to additional municipal corporations under SMILE-75 trajectory [S4].

SMILE = Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise [S1].
Launched 12 February 2022 by MoSJE [S3].
It is an umbrella Central Sector Scheme — not a Centrally Sponsored Scheme [S1].
Two sub-schemes: Transgender welfare + Beggary rehabilitation [S3].
Total outlay ₹365 crore (2021-22 to 2025-26) [S2].
Beggary sub-scheme operational in 181 cities [S1].
Slogan: "Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat" (Begging-Free India) [S1].
Garima Greh = shelter home for transgender persons (NOT for beggars) [S1].
23 Garima Grehs supported as of 31 Jan 2026 [S1].
Statutory base: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 [S3].
SMILE-75 Initiative: 75 municipal corporations targeted for beggary-free cities (launched Aug 2022) [S4].
Implementing ministry: Social Justice & Empowerment (NOT Women & Child Development; NOT Housing & Urban Affairs) [S1].

GS-II: "Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes."
GS-I: Social empowerment; issues related to women and minorities (gender identity).
Possible question stems: 1. "Discuss how the SMILE scheme marks a shift from a punitive to a rehabilitative approach toward beggary in India. Examine implementation bottlenecks." (250 words) 2. "Critically evaluate the effectiveness of the Garima Greh initiative in operationalising the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019." 3. "Convergence is the cornerstone of welfare delivery for marginalised groups. Illustrate with reference to SMILE."

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 — statutory base for sub-scheme.
NALSA v. Union of India (2014) — landmark on third-gender rights.
National Council for Transgender Persons — statutory advisory body under MoSJE.
SRMS / NAMASTE Scheme — comparable MoSJE rehabilitation framework for manual scavengers.
DAY-NULM — converges for urban shelter and SHG formation.
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY — health card extended to transgender persons.
Harsh Mander v. UoI (2018) — Delhi HC decriminalising begging in Delhi.
PM-DAKSH — MoSJE skilling scheme that may interlink with SMILE livelihoods.

Mis-attributing SMILE to Ministry of Women & Child Development or MoHUA — it is MoSJE [S1].
Confusing SMILE with the "Smile Train" NGO or with PM-DAKSH.
Treating Garima Greh as a shelter for beggars — it is exclusively for transgender persons [S1].
Quoting Centrally Sponsored instead of Central Sector scheme (100% Union funded).
Mixing SMILE-75 (75 municipal corps) with AMRUT/Smart Cities city counts.
Linking statutory base to a non-existent "Beggary Prohibition Act, 2019" — there is no central Act on begging; states have their own Acts [S2].

[S1] SUPPORT FOR MARGINALIZED INDIVIDUALS FOR LIVELIHOOD AND ENTERPRISE (SMILE) SCHEME — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2226198 — (tier: 1)
[S2] Implementation of the SMILE Scheme / Beggary Prevention — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2245076 — (tier: 1)
[S3] Union Minister launches "SMILE" scheme — https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1797968 — (tier: 1)
[S4] SMILE-75 Initiative launch — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1851291 — (tier: 1)