Centre revises SMILE scheme to provide shelter to beggars

In a major policy push towards inclusive and humane rehabilitation, the Centre has revised its flagship SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme for beggars, expanding its scope to include dedicated shelter homes, vocational training, psychological counselling, healthcare services, and educational support for children of beggars.

Officials said the revamped initiative marks a decisive shift from punitive measures to a rights-based, rehabilitative approach that aims to help the country’s most vulnerable reclaim social dignity and stable livelihoods.

The revised SMILE scheme will follow a four-pronged strategy — survey and identification, outreach and mobilisation, rescue and shelter and comprehensive resettlement. Special focus areas will include pilgrimage sites, religious places, historical monuments, and tourist spots, with religious trusts and shrine boards roped in to support the programme locally.

The Centre has allocated Rs 100 crore for the scheme over three years, targeting the rehabilitation of 2,500 individuals in the first year, 6,000 in the second, and 8,000 in the third. Municipal bodies and district administrations will carry out detailed surveys to identify beneficiaries, whose data will be uploaded to a national portal for real-time monitoring by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Each shelter home, with a capacity of at least 50 residents, will provide safe lodging for up to six months, extendable in special cases, along with food, clothing, hygiene kits, counselling, skilling, and recreational activities. Children will be enrolled in government schools under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, while adults will receive job-oriented training linked to schemes like PM-DAKSH and DAY-NULM.