Scores of beggars gathered from Kabul streets

Kabul police department says all beggars that have been rounded up in recent days have been biometrically registered. According to Kabul police department, nearly 3,000 beggars have been rounded up from Kabul streets so far.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran in a tweet has said that from tomorrow on beggars would be rounded up from Kabul streets.

“Those beggars that have been biometrically registered by a tasked committee will be arrested in case of turning to begging on Kabul streets again,” Zadran said, adding that those who have been missed of biometrical registration will be registered.

Previously, the IEA Supreme Leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada had tasked Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs to work on a mechanism to round up streets beggars in Kabul, the capital.

According to the beggar collection committee led by Mullah Beradar, 3,048 beggars including 2,109 women beggars have been rounded up from different parts of Kabul city. Only 629 of the aforementioned number of female beggars in Kabul city were deemed deserving with the others being classified as professional beggars by the committee that collected them.

The number of deserving beggars for men and children is presented as to be 60 out of 283, and 269 out of 656 respectively. According to information of the respective committee, all deserving beggars have been referred to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, where they will receive the necessary support from their respective organizations.

Previously, deputy prime minister had been tasked to cooperate with relevant agencies of the Islamic Emirate (IEA) to start the process of rounding up panhandlers from Kabul city and addressing and resolving their issues.

According to the committee tasked to collect beggars, those beggars who are highly disadvantaged and unable to work were to receive a monthly stipend, and minor beggars were to receive an education, according to the statement made public when the order was announced.

One of the main factors in increasing number of beggars in the country is poverty and lack of job opportunities. Even beggars who are fit and healthy and have physical ability, when asked why they beg, they say that they will stop begging as soon as their employment conditions get improved.

It is believed that the deserved beggars should be taken care of so that they can lead a dignified life and manage their lives in the right way, and for the rest, necessary measures should be adopted so that they can get a dignified job.

The factors that can reduce this phenomenon are the policies that could eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, and create job opportunities. Besides, economic development of Afghanistan can help improve the lives of the population in the country.