Mangaluru’s 3 decades old Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre has plenty of life transformation stories to tell

Chetana Nayak K
March 15, 2019

A host of home-grown vegetables welcome the visitors at Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) at Pachanady in Vamanjoor on the outskirts of the coastal city of Mangaluru. Once barren land with laterite rocks, today the 2-acre land boasts of its lush-green vegetation across its one-acre landscape. Brinjal, Coriander, Drumstick, Green chilli, Pumpkin, Spinach, Mint leaves, Jackfruit, Mango; are among the several vegetables that the inmates have raised with their labour.

"Although, it was initially a challenge to motivate them, now most of them, either through self motivation or inspired by others have taken to cultivation on their own. They tend to the crops as their own and use it for self-consumption," Ashok, in-charge of BRC said.

Besides vegetation, the Centre ensures that inmates do not spend their time idling. Beyond the normal rest or sleeping hours, the inmates are involved in pre-seeding work, tilling the soil, watering the soil beds, preparing organic manure, timely harvesting and gardening.

While some of the woman inmates engage in agriculture, they also involve in envelope making, crafts, early morning walks, exercise or at least their routine chores such as washing their own clothes.

Well educated, hailing from an affluent family, with two brothers employed in reputed banks, Anupama* (28) had everything she had asked for. But in an unfortunate turn of events, the sudden demise of her parents few years ago, Anupama found herself roaming around the streets of Pandeshwar in Mangaluru.

Beyond recognition, begging for food with pedestrians, she would sleep on the streets and roam about aimlessly. Reported by the local residents in 2014, Anupama’s plight caught attention of the jurisdictional Pandeshwar police, who shifted her to BRC.

In a span of one year, Anupama, who formerly found solace in anonymity and in begging alms, today has become a tailor. She came out of the BRC and eked out her living through tailoring. Anupama also slapped legal cases against her brothers who had allegedly cheated her of property. “She currently owns a property in Karkala, with bank deposits bequeathed in her name by her mother,” her case officer adds.

Another, Ramesh*, an electronics and electrical engineer from Chennai addicted to drinking and drug abuse had abandoned his family. He was brought to BRC that kicked-out his alcohol habit. Now working in an MNC, Ramesh is back on top of his game and works for a multinational company in Chennai.

BRC that began in 1991 under Karnataka Social Welfare Department today has grown to be one of the most trusted of the 14 Centre’s in the state.

Upon the identification of an individual as a destitute or a beggar, Mangaluru City Commissioner (MCC), Taluk court, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Taluk Panchayat, District level officer(s), and jurisdictional Police Sub-Inspector are empowered to detain and surrender destitute/beggars at the Centre.

In-charge of BRC, Ashok says that the Centre’s team and staff guard travel around their respective districts and identify the beggars and bring them to the court within 24 hours. As per the current provisions, they can house a beggar for one-year. During which, through a series of vocational and counseling sessions, it can encourage a destitute to quit begging and live independently. “Once the Centre is reassured of their skills, the Centre informs their family members and requests to take them back. In the absence of the family, the member is referred to a government aided Centre.” Ashok said.

Over the year, BRC has aggregated destitute from different parts of the country in its Mangaluru Centre. "Since, Mangalore Central Railway Station is the last station in the region, majority of them de-board the train here and venture into the city. Most of our inmates are from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh," a BRC official says.

A team of psychiatrists, doctors, skin specialists, who visit once in 15-days, have the mandate to ensure that the inmates are hale and healthy. Over the years, for about 137 destitute in Dakshina Kannada, BRC has become a haven for transformation; Owing to alcohol, substance abuse, financial stress and family issues, these inmates who had once resorted to begging today claim of confidence to thrive with their abilities.

Comments

Ann Pinto
 - 
Thursday, 9 May 2019

Thanks to coastal digest for publishing such articles and showing the positive change brought about by BRC so that these people can live a dignified life with the skills they they are taught..

SD
 - 
Tuesday, 26 Mar 2019

Wow! Impressed May God bless all involved in making the beggers life easy.The general principle of alleviating poverty by facilitating self-sufficiency has a long history

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News Network
March 11,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 11: Heated verbal exchange between Minister K Sudhakar and former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar in the assembly over disqualification of 17 MLAs last year, continued to disrupt the proceedings on Wednesday, with both opposition and treasury benches pushing for a privilege motion and demanding action.

Chaotic scenes and adjournments marked the House proceedings, with both sides not ready to budge.

As the House met for the day, around 11 am, senior Minister K S Eshwarappa accusing Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar of using "expletive" during a debate last evening, demanded his apology and that he be kept out of the proceedings.

Sudhakar, against whom expletive was allegedly used by Kumar, said, the words used were unpardonable and he should be heard, as he has given notice.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah then demanded that he be allowed to speak first as he had given notice on Tuesday itself.

The Congress leader on his part has accused Sudhakar of breaching Kumar's privilege by allegedly making derogatory remarks against him.

Intervening, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said he has received breach of privilege notice from both sides and would allow it only after the question hour as per rules.

Though Congress expressed its agreement with the Speaker about letting them raise the matter after question hour, BJP legislators including Ministers said, Ramesh Kumar should be suspended.

Pointing out that Kumar was not inside the House, some ruling party MLAs even called him "escapist" and demanded action against him.

Strongly objecting to it, Siddaramaiah questioned the ruling party's intentions in running the house smoothly.

As this was followed by heated arguments between both sides, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

When the house met after much delay at 12:55 pm, the chaos continued.

As the Speaker allowed Minister Jagadish Shettar to speak, who was requesting permission to raise a point, Siddaramaiah objected to it and said he had given notice first.

He said, "this is not correct, it looks like government doesn't want the House to function, they don't want discussion on the budget, they are purposely blocking the proceedings of the House".

However, some BJP MLAs reacted to this by shouting slogans "shame shame Ramesh Kumar".

As his repeated attempts to conduct the proceedings failed, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch.

Sudhakar, while speaking during a special discussion on the Constitution on Tuesday evening had made critical remarks against the decision of Kumar, as speaker, to disqualify 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs under the anti-defection law, including him.

Angered by this Kumar, who opposed discussion on the subject, amid heated argument between BJP and Congress members allegedly uttered the expletive, which aggravated the situation and had resulted in pandemonium in the House last evening.

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News Network
April 18,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 18: Virtually defending the Gowda family for conducting a marriage reportedly defying lockdown restrictions, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said it was performed in a simple manner and well within their limits, "for which they are to be congratulated."

"All the necessary permissions were given and the marriage was performed in a simple manner. There is no need to discuss about it. They had done it well within their limits for which I congratulate them," Yediyurappa said to a query from reporters during the post-COVID-19 briefing.

Scores of people had thronged a farmhouse on Friday to get a glimpse of the wedding of former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy, ignoring appeals not to visit the venue in view of the ongoing lockdown to check the COVID-19 outbreak. Nikhil, son of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, tied the nuptial knot with Revathi, the grand-niece of former Karnataka housing minister M Krishnappa.

The marriage was solemnised at Kumaraswamy's Kethaganahalli farmhouse at Bidadi in the neighbouring Ramanagara district, a JD(S) stronghold. Kumaraswamy had taken to Twitter after the marriage, thanking his party MLAs, leaders and workers for staying away from the event and blessing his son from their houses. In a series of tweets, he had said social distancing was maintained and all precautionary measures were taken throughout the event.

BJP had hit out at the JD(S) first family for flouting the norms, alleging that at least 150 to 200 vehicles were given permission to attend the event, that too at at time when social workers wanting to serve the badly affected poor people were not being allowed to ply any form of transport JD(S) leader N H Konareddi and MLC T A Sharavanna had denied the charges, saying the union government guidelines had been followed and that social distancing was maintained.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 29,2020

Mangaluru, May 29: Even as the thousands of Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia are waiting for repatriation flights to return to India, a few NRI entrepreneurs are sending home their employees through chartered flights. 

The government of India on May 21 had formally approved the repatriation of stranded Indian expatriate workers through chartered flights arranged by their employing companies particularly in Gulf region and elsewhere. 

Expertise Contracting Co. Ltd headed by K S Sheik and Al-Muzain Est. headed by Zakaria Jokatte are among those who have hired charter flights to repatriate hundreds of employees to India amidst corona lockdown. 

Mr Sheik said that his firm had applied for nine charter flights. "Two of the charter flights will carry 360 people to Mangaluru. Seven other flights will repatriate employees to Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Hyderabad," he said, adding that the company will bear complete expense of their repatriation and quarantine facility after India. 

Mr Jokatte three charter flights will fly from Dammam to Mangaluru International Airport on June 2, 5 and 8 carrying their employees.

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SANNARUDRAPPA
 - 
Saturday, 30 May 2020

ಸೂಪರ್

 

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