CTPL launches pilot project to rehabilitate deserving beggars under ‘Zero Begging Punjab’ initiative

LAHORE, Jul 27 (APP):City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) on Monday launched a pilot project to rehabilitate deserving individuals involved in begging by providing vocational training, financial assistance, and employment opportunities under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s “Zero Begging Punjab” initiative.

The project was discussed during a meeting chaired by Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Syed Abdul Raheem Shirazi, attended by Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) Managing Director Mubeen Elahi and Alkhidmat Foundation Project Director Muhammad Sinan. The participants agreed on a joint strategy to rehabilitate deserving families involved in begging through skill development and self-employment opportunities.

Under the pilot project, Alkhidmat Foundation will initially identify 10 deserving families, while PSIC will provide soft loans of up to Rs500,000 to each selected beneficiary to help them establish small businesses and earn a respectable livelihood.

The meeting also decided to establish “Jhuggi Schools” in slum areas of Lahore to promote education and rehabilitation of children. Additionally, deserving women, children, and transgender persons will be provided vocational training in fields such as beauty courses, tailoring, and embroidery in collaboration with welfare organizations to improve their employment prospects.

Speaking on the occasion, CTO Abdul Raheem Shirazi said Alkhidmat Foundation volunteers would assist CTPL in mapping, profiling, and research on beggars. He added that a coordinated strategy would also be adopted to identify organized begging networks and their handlers.

He said strict legal action would be taken against human traffickers and those involved in organized professional begging networks under relevant anti-human trafficking laws and Punjab vagrancy laws.

The CTO said the priority was to support deserving individuals rather than punish them, adding that those forced into begging due to poverty would be assisted through vocational training, employment opportunities, and measures aimed at promoting self-reliance. However, professional beggars exploiting the system would continue to face legal action.

PSIC MD Mubeen Elahi said the initiative would not only help curb organized begging but also contribute to the social and economic rehabilitation of deserving families.

The CTO said all relevant government departments, welfare organizations, and the private sector were being engaged to develop a sustainable mechanism for implementing the chief minister’s vision of a “Zero Begging Punjab” by providing dignified livelihood opportunities to deserving people.

He added that CTPL had taken action against more than 3,500 beggars during the current year and was now complementing enforcement measures with rehabilitation, vocational training, and employment support to achieve a long-term solution to the issue.