Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday welcomed Supreme Court’s refusal to ban alms seeking.
He said that the apex court had rightly observed that starvation and livelihood destruction forced many to seek alms from strangers to stave off hunger.
People did not willingly resort to begging, the Chief Minister said.
Desperate act
It was extreme poverty nudged people into the desperate act of seeking alms.
State governments should eradicate the socio-economic circumstances that propels individuals into alms seeking.
Kerala government was committed to eradicating extreme poverty, he observed.
Exclusive committee
The State government had set up an exclusive committee to identify impoverished families and individuals, including homeless street dwellers and wandering vagrants.
The State government would mitigate their deprivation, offer them hope and a chance to reintegrate into mainstream society. Mr. Vijayan said.
Eradication of extreme poverty in Kerala was on top of the State government's plan of action in this regard.
Kerala would erase the social and other circumstances that cause extreme poverty, which results in situations that lead to alms seeking, the Chief Minister said.
