To curb begging at some famous religious sites in the state, the Justice and Empowerment Department has proposed to notify 10 key locations under the Prevention of Begging Act. Notifying these areas under the Act will essentially prohibit begging in these noted religious destinations.
The proposal has been sent to the state government to accommodate it in the upcoming Budget session of the Gujarat Assembly, scheduled to begin from July 2.
The 10 places, which have been proposed to be notified for the implementation of the Prevention of Begging Act, are Pavagadh in Panchmahals district, Palitana in Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Becharaji in Mehsana, Shamlaji in Aravalli, Sidhpur in Patan, Ambaji in Banaskantha, Prabhas Patan (where world-famous Somnath temple is situated) in Gir-Somnath, Dwarka in Jamnagar and Dakor in Kheda.
Highly placed sources in the Social Justice and Empowerment Department said that as per the provisions, the Prevention of Begging Act applies to the areas notified by the state government. “At present, five major cities of Gujarat — Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot — are notified under the Act, prohibiting begging there.”