Six months of shelter, skill training: Gujarat draws up plan to free 4 cities of beggary

The Indian Express reports that Gujarat has launched a rehabilitation initiative to make Vadodara, Gir Somnath, Ekta Nagar and Pavagadh cities free of beggary. The initiative, part of the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme, will provide identified individuals and families with six months of shelter, documentation, skill training and employment support.

At a meeting chaired by Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mona Khandhar, officials discussed the roadmap to implement the programme, which will involve municipal bodies, district administrations, health departments, social security agencies and employment authorities. The families identified will undergo health screening, receive assistance in obtaining essential identity and welfare documents, and be given employment-oriented training before efforts to help them find work.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.