SMILE Scheme to strengthen rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging; target 35,000 rehabilitations by FY 2030-31
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment scales up the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme’s beggary rehabilitation component, with a phased target to expand coverage across cities and strengthen digital monitoring.
- The SMILE scheme is an umbrella welfare programme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for vulnerable communities.
- The beggary rehabilitation component uses rehabilitation, skill development, education, healthcare, counselling, and economic empowerment.
- The Ministry has strengthened the portal for registration, monitoring, and tracking of rehabilitation centres and shelter homes.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is scaling up the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme to rehabilitate persons engaged in begging through livelihood support, education, healthcare, counselling, and economic empowerment. The scheme matters for UPSC because it sits at the intersection of social justice, welfare delivery, urban governance, and dignity-based rehabilitation.
What happened now
According to the Ministry, the beggary rehabilitation component under SMILE is operational in 216 cities and is planned to extend to 295 cities by financial year 2030-31. The approved implementation plan also places emphasis on metropolitan cities and religious, tourist, and historical places.
UPSC can frame the SMILE scheme as a welfare-design question on rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging, convergence among government tiers, and the use of digital monitoring for transparency and implementation. A mains answer can examine dignity-based rehabilitation, urban governance, and the challenges of reintegration into mainstream livelihoods.
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