Beggar pays Rs 36,000 LIC premium – The Next Lucrative Career Option?

A lot has been written, said and criticized about beggars and begging, movies have been made which exposed the high level hierarchy & the racket behind this dirty business. Yet it is one of the banes that India is trying hard to battle with little success. Why would it ever succeed if begging can provide them an income that is otherwise unthinkable?

Sarvatia, who boasts of two insurance policies with annual premiums for 36000, a sizable bank balance is a professional beggar. And there are many such successful professionals (sic) spawned thanks to this ever growing industry.

A beggar in Bangalore should be making more than a junior executive. Let me tell you how. Bangalore is well known for its heavy slow moving traffic and long traffic signals. Those traveling through Koramangla, Silk Board Junction, and Airport road will really know what I am talking about and these beggars lose no time to stalk the hapless souls stuck in their bikes and cars. And most of the times these beggars are successful in getting few coins simply by making the commuters feel guilty of leading a good hardworking life while they supposedly languish in the streets.

Now going by the rule of thumb and the clever planning of begging zones, they make close to Rs. 50 or more an hour and assuming they work 10 hours its Rs. 500 a day and by that calculation its 15000 per month. Not a bad figure at all considering they don’t need to pay any taxes. And yes that’s more than what entry-level executives in many companies make.

Any brilliant ideas on how to tackle this burgeoning problem?

[Image Courtesy: Hobotraveler.com]