BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Ashok Panda on Saturday informed the Assembly that 6,390 beggars have been identified in Odisha.
Replying to a question from Prashant Behera of the BJD, the Minister said Cuttack ranked first in the list with 1,060 beggars, followed by Balangir at 708, Mayurbhanj 485, Ganjam 458, Puri 120 and Balasore 131.
According to data released by the Minister, Deogarh district is at the bottom of the list with only 16 beggars.
In Khurda district, under which the Capital city comes, has only 53 beggars.
The Minister said last year the SSEPD Department had launched a special drive to make the state beggar-free. The state government has introduced a scheme called ‘Sahaya’ to rehabilitate and provide employment to beggars.